Chase vs Kimiko
by InspirationandStrife
Summary: Chase Young has lost a showdown,and with it his freedom.But beneath the cold and humiliated exterior lies a romantic truth.And just as things get cozy with the only girl around,Hannibal decides to tear it all away from him.People die here.
1. This Guy can't fight That Girl

**Chase vs. Kimiko **

**Chapter1 : This Guy can't fight That Girl**

"HURRY GUYS! I'm getting the wiggly-niggly-jiggly on the mega level. The Sheng Gong Wu is probably ne-EEEAR!?" Dojo freaked and in a flash, hid in Clay's bandanna. The monks looked forward and scowled hard at the intruder; Chase Young was just a step away from the Handkerchief of Teh Hwa, and smirking.

"Hello monks. I see a leader has been chosen, and I confess I am genuinely surprised who it is." Chase said as he looked long and hard at Omi.

"Never determine a newspaper by the printing, Chase Young! Raimondo is no longer the rebellious, dark, selfish and disobedient teenager he once was!" Omi replied, trying to sound resentful towards his foe.

"Thanks Omi." Muttered Raimondo, "And it's 'don't judge a book by its cover'".

"That is most confusing. Some books don't have covers!"

"Have you had enough chat? Your little wiggling lizard is beginning to remind me of lunch." Chase said while eyeing Dojo greedily.

Instantly, the villain received his answer, in the most unexpected way possible. Kimiko had jumped above the heads of her comrades and made a grab for the Wu. Instinctively, Chase laid his hand on the Wu at the same time, only to realize who he would be competing against. He smirked.

"Chase Young, I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown!" yelled Kimiko, "The challenge is, uh, Hop-scotch. Kung-fu obstacle coarse style!" she couldn't have stated anything lamer.

"aha ha." Said Chase said sacarstically, "interesting choice of game my Dragon of Fire. I was expecting something more sophisticated from an urban girl like you. You never cease to surprise me eh? I wager my Serpent's Tail against your Eye of Dashi"

"Whatever. Let's go!" she snapped, embarrassed.

"Not yet. I propose a small add to the prize. The loser will belong to the winner and his / her Side until released."

"Oh-kay..."

"Excellent."

"Let's go! XIAOLIN SHOWDOWN!" The earth instantly rose up to form a hop-scotch 3D model the size of a football field. Rivers of lava flowed through as the markings for the borders of each square and jagged rocks at the curved end.

"GONG YI TAN PAI!" They yelled together and flat oval metal stones appeared in their hands.

"Ladies first." Ushered Chase.

"No!" Kimiko answered, "We go together, thanks to your 'little' proposal."

"Alright then."

They both dropped their rocks onto the first square and were off. Both leaped from one square, the size of a large living room, to another with much grace and determination. But when Kimiko reached the fifth square, a large rock grew out of the ground.

"AAH!" she cried, "Judo Eclipse! Fire!". Fire blasted from her legs as she back flipped a kick and destroyed the obstacle, sending little bits of flame everywhere.

Kimiko glanced at Chase while the air cleared and she carried on. The 1000 year old looked as if he was playing a simple game of hopping, yet absolute concentration and power still could be seen in his simple movements. Rocks, lava, boulders, fire, you name it, was thrown at him but he dodged it all, and was almost at the end.

"Eye of Dashi! Fire!" yelled Kimiko. She sent fire balls in front first to destroy all objects that posed a threat along with kung-fu kicks, leaps and punches. Suddenly, she stepped near a line of lava and it cracked. Lava flowed in her direction now. Kimiko realized it could be an advantage to her.

"Wudai Mars Fire!". Lava rushed upwards and at her thought, made a pass over the other squares. She could balance on her palms and zoom across.

"Serpent's Tail.", said Chase. He flew through everything and, since he was already winning, took a look at Kimiko. She had lost balance on her lava shortcut and was falling with her legs kicking everywhere, her cute little butt in his angle of view. She wore a micro-mini jean skirt that wrapped itself tightly around that little ass of hers that day and it had just caught his eye. His heart beat faster. His mind whirled and his soul was heated up in an emotion he had only felt once. He opened his mouth to take a breath of this, just to miss the Sheng Gong Wu altogether.

"HA HA HA HA HA!" the other monks laughed out loud as the Invincible Evil Genius reappeared at the starting.

"I GOT IT!", squealed Kimiko triumphantly, "I got it guys! I GOT IT!". In that very moment, everything returned to normal and Kimiko held three Sheng Gong Wu. Chase Young stood in front, facing her with piercing eyes and twisted lips. He looked incredibly deadly at that point but to the surprise of all, he bowed on one knee and faced the ground ; a sign of absolute loyalty and respect.

"You've won Xiaolin Dragons.", he said, "And I will be true to my word. I am yours to command." Chase raised his head to glace at his masters and mistress.

The monks and Dojo had their mouths open in shock for quite a while till Chase spoke again.

"I only request for one thing." he said, "A single bowl of Lao Meng Long soup a day. Otherwise I will remain in my true form eternally. And a real dragon is not the most pleasant thing to have around."

"Well..." said Raimondo thoughtfully, "I guess we can let you have that stuff once a day. But you will have to give us the keys to your house." The leader opened his hand expecting a golden key to be given to him.

"I have no key." Chase replied, annoyed that Raimondo had the nerve to request such a thing. "But you do have my jungle cats to get past. If you would grant me such a chance, I could order them now to bring me a can of the soup everyday. You could follow me and watch if you don't trust me. I don't take long to task"

Omi looked at Chase then at Raimondo. "It would be convenient for us Raimondo." stated Omi a-matter-of-factly.

"At the same time it could be a trick. As always..." Raimondo was not too sure.

"Well the two-faced villain is ours to deal with right?" reminded Clay.

"Yeah Rai. He has to keep to his word as a warrior.", backed Kimiko.

With a sigh, Raimondo agreed and allowed Chase to return to his lair one last time with them along. But when he asked Dojo if he would give them all a ride, "NO! I AM NOT HAVING A GUY WHO COULD SLURP ME UP LIKE NOODLES RIDE ME!" and he crossed his weeny little arms to mean what he had said. "Then we'll use a different ride." he said, "Silver Manta Ray!". Then they all got into the Wu to Chase's place. There, Chase spent little time in explaining the situation to his cats but more of the 'bring me soup' part just like he promised. Then they were homeward bound.

Upon arrival at the temple, Master Fung was rather taken aback. "I do not doubt you were capable of it, young monks." He stated, his eyes still bulging with surprise, "But I am still very amazed. Regardless, I congratulate you and shall pass the word around"

"Oh great." thought Chase. Then turning to the monks he asked as politely as he could, "is he really going to pass the word around master?"

"Yepps." grinned Raimondo, "The old Fungster means what he says and says what he means. Unless its one of them darn old sayings but it still means what he said."

"I do hope Master Monk Guan would hear of this!" squealed Omi, "Although the victory was obtained through a girl..." that he whispered.

"I HEARD THAT YOU LITTLE..." Kimiko chased after Omi, leaving Chase with Clay and Raimodo, who both had very evil looks on. And it was evil enough for Chase to feel awkward.

"I do not expect an answer Masters." said Chase in a voice between freaked and annoyed, "But I am very curious as to the expressions you both are currently wearing."

"You'll soon see Chase." Clay chuckled, "You'll soon see..."

"But first I'll show you to your room." ushered Kimiko. "It was easy to catch that little cheese ball with the Serpent's Tail.". Behind her, a yellow, blue and black little monk hobbled on one foot and a common stick."

The boys were called to Master Fung and the girl was left with her servant. She led Chase through the main hall and corridor to the end of the temple, which was a place apparently Chase was expecting. "Ah yes, my old room; which obviously has not changed since I left, save the dirt and cobwebs" He dusted some of the 1000 year old dangling whites from his face as he entered.

"Yeah; Master Fung said you might as well have what once belonged to you since you are back on the Xiaolin side." Kimiko sighed, secretly in happiness. "There were several clothes left there when we looked but just in case," she then opened the closet, "there are other clothes we have provided. They were voted appropriate by majority of us Wudai warriors, which are the boys."

"Since I am back?" laughed Chase turning to Kimiko. The laugh was not cruel but it still sent shivers down the young lady's spine as he inched closer till they were face to face. "What makes you think I'm back my young Mistress? I agreed to serve you, but that does not mean I will change sides. Or at most, not yet. All the same, do not expect too much from me milady. I may be immortal, but I still have my limitations, unlike you." With that speech over, common sense lost control and he reached to touch her cheek.

"Hey you! Hands off Kimiko!" yelled a teenager's voice as a pair of robed arms came around the little lady's waist, "and Master Fung says you can have today off but must keep your butt on our grounds. Tomorrow you'll do whatever anyone on the Xiaolin side says. Understood?"

"Yes Master Raimondo." Mumbled Chase and proceeded to his room to clear the 1000 year worth of black particles from his room, and his mind.


	2. Day 1

**Chase vs. Kimiko **

**Chapter2 : Day 1**

A rooster crowed in the distance and a groggy Chase Young awoke in a different yet very familiar environment than usual. Oh yes, I remember now. He thought sitting up. I lost to a little, fiery, cute, beautiful...Wait. Did I just say cute and beautiful? Chase slapped himself hard on the face, only to hear a giggle beside him. He looked in the direction of the sound. A brown haired girl in faded jeans and white tank top stood in front of his open cupboard with her back facing him, but not her eyes. They were looking right into his.

"Do you always do that in the morning or is it that your natural reflex to an opening cupboard?" Kimiko asked, stifling another giggle. Her eyes trailed slowly from eyes to his bare muscular chest. His waist onwards was beneath the blanket unfortunately so she had to make do with the chest upwards. He looked exactly like he was a painting from one of those fine ancient arts with high cheekbones, powerful eyes and graceful body. How can such fine beauty be of such great evil? She thought sadly before shaking her head violently.

"Now do you always do that when you open cupboards or is that your natural reflex when you ask me a question, hmm?" asked Chase, although knowing very well why.

"Copycat." she remarked.

"Not really. They call it 'tit-for-tat'. Which in this case means 'one none-of-your-business question for another' " he corrected her, smiling. Then he got up and walked over to her. "By the way, what are you doing with my cupboard? I thought I was supposed to serve you, not the other way around."

"Well you sure don't act like it." she snapped, trying not to catch a glimpse of the half-naked man next to her. "I was just adding some clothes more appropriate for your chores."

Chase stood behind her and took a piece of clothing from the neatly folded pile. It was a T-shirt with a Teletubbies imprint on it.

"Don't look at me about that. Like I said yesterday, the majority of us – which is all the boys – voted for things like these" was Kimiko's reply to his inquiring look.

"I suppose they used excuses such as 'Come on, he deserves it. I mean he practically tried to take over the world by using our very own peps' or 'As much I find this very immature, it would be a very minimum punishment for his evil actions.' or maybe 'Well that over-grown reptile could use a little more colour in his life.' "Chase imitated her friends very well.

"How did you do, or know that? You make imitating Rai, Omi and Clay sound so easy!"

"Imitation comes after long-term familiarity. And I have long been familiar with their talking, they blabber so much there's no mystery about them. You in the meantime..." Once again he leaned towards her as she turned to face him, "...are still a mystery to me. A mystery that always seem to be so close to solving, but never is; there is always a new area that shows up when the last has been figured out. But tomorrow never has an end does it?; for after one tomorrow there is always another tomorrow. And a tommorow is like you, Dragon of Fire. It is just like you." As saying, he reached for her face.

"Chase..." Kimiko felt a tingling within her as a bold yet gentle hand stroked her cheek. The hand then brought itself behind her neck, pulling her towards him for the next step.

Then came the most horrible thing for that moment. "Ehem. Servant!"

Chase turned to see a small yellow creature of absolute annoyance, peeking its head through the curtain-door. "What may my little Master require so early in the morning?" he asked with as much control as he could muster.

"Nothing much at the moment." Omi smile was too broad for comfort, "Just wondering if you would want breakfast before chores. Because it would disappear fast when Raimondo and Clay awaken"

"I understand Master. I will come soon." replied Chase.

Omi headed for the curtained exit. "Are you coming Kimiko?" he asked in his happy-good-morning tone.

"Oh. Er. Yeah." The girl dropped back down to reality. "I'm coming". Leaving Chase behind, she went with Omi for breakfast.

Chase looked into his closet. Apparently Kimiko was not lying. This would be definitely the boys' doing; Teletubbies, Elmo, Powerpuff Girls and Pokemon tops, but no sign of his armor? Chase growled. The other clothings were a pair of fairly decent overalls, a couple of white shirts, jeans and his long forgotten Xiaolin Kung-fu suit.

He chose the suit. It was, although no longer his colour, far better than the rest. He took it, as well as some basic shower substances and a towel and headed for the bathroom. While the warm water came pouring onto his jet black hair, thoughts streamed through his mind. What in the Heylin world possessed him to do that? A Heylin warrior kissing a Xiaolin warrior? Ha ha ha. Amusing. What crap. That punk Raimondo will have his head if he found out. Oh shit, that's right. Kimiko is Raimondo's. Or is it the other way around? "ARGH!" Chase yelled was about to punch the wall when he remembered this wasn't his house so punched the air instead. "Nothing ever goes my way! Even if it does, the victory is never lasting!" You're losing it, Chase. He thought, Calm down. Calm down. It'll be fine. You're still a Heylin monster; pure evil. You do not need her.

Meanwhile, Kimiko was beating herself up as well. When she left Chase, she fetched her PDA. While chewing breakfast, she had her earphones on and listened to some of her saved music. They made her a fantasy. No boys, no unnecessary disturbance, no Chase... No Chase? Her mind yelled at her. What do you mean no Chase? I mean no, you know, wanting for the enemy. Yeah right! Just listen to this song! Kimiko listened; ironically, the song was Everytime We Touch.

_I still hear Your voice when You sleep next to me_

_I still feel Your touch in my dreams_

_Forgive me my weakness_

_But I don't know why_

_Without You it's hard to survive._

_Cos' Everytime We Touch_

_I get this feeling_

_And Everytime We Kiss I swear I can fly._

_Can't You feel my heart beat fast_

_I want this to last_

_I need You by my side_

_Cos' Everytime We Touch_

_I feel the static_

_And Everytime We Kiss I reach for the sky_

_Can't You feel my heart beat so_

_I can't let You go_

_I want You in my life._

"Argh!" mumbled Kimiko and skipping the song, "That is really junk. What is that song doing in my PDA anyway?".

Just then, brown haired boy and cowboy entered the dining room followed by a tall man carrying detergent and a scrubber behind them.

"Ehem. My fellow monks, may I have your absolute attention?" asked Raimondo in a voice of authority. "Our new servant will be washing all our dirty laundry in fifteen minutes time. Do pass them to him now so he can prepare the appropriate amount of washing liquid." Then he and Clay dumped a pile of really bad-smelling clothing in front of Chase up to his neck and went to fetch themselves breakfast. They obviously didn't like Chase one bit because not even a crumb was offered for the morning meal and he had to scrub their underwear.

"You are most welcome Masters. Always pleased to be of your service." Mumbled Chase as Omi threw his laundry at the top of the pile, near Chase's face. Looking up at the only monk that hasn't left, he said, "Any from you, milady?"

"One second." Kimiko replied as she took one last sip of her tea. "Want some?" she asked, offering her remaining cup of tea.

Chase looked pleased. He was pleased that something edible was offered it to him, but he rethought that as he remembered where he was. Is this a form of trap? What if the other monks were watching? Oh please! Groaned his stomach, Just be thankful you've got something. Take it you fool!

"Yes please." Then Chase took the cup without question and drained it. When he was done, Kimiko had left but the pile of laundry had grown a bit. Picking the pile and the washing stuff up, he walked out of the temple and to the nearby stream behind. He began by dropping the whole lot on the banks and soaked the scrubber with detergent. "Here we go" was all he could say before plunging the first of the laundry into the water. Soon he was on the second piece. Then the third. Then fourth. Fifth. Sixth, and his mind wondered.

First she was the first one of all the Wudai Warriors to actually beat him, twice. The first time was when she disguised herself as that idiot Spicer and the second was obviously yesterday. And then now, she was _genuinely_ bothered with his needs and did not dump _her_ laundry in his face. Then it hit him. He looked at the thing he was currently washing. It was the little lady's undergarment.

With only one dummy left, Kimiko called in her element and burned it to flying feather ash before the others could even touch it. "Excellent fighting Kimiko." commented Master Fung, "I still believe that is only the first page of the book. For you would have done much more to defeat Chase Young."

"Well..." smiled Kimiko, "Luck was on my side." But I still wonder..., she thought. I'll talk to him later. Unfortunately, she never had a chance.

Right after scrubbing underwear, Chase was allowed to eat his self-cooked lunch alone. Immediately he was down on his knees and mopping floors with an old rag the rest of the afternoon and, because of Omi's little report to Raimondo, Kimiko was kept busy with the boys in sport games. Let's see if that freak of nature can get to her now, Thought Raimondo relieved. Unfortunately, his servant had finished mopping sooner than he had calculated and intruded into their soccer game.

"May I interrupt Masters?" Chase bowed politely.

"You just did." grumbled the Brazilian teenager. Realizing why, Raimondo yelled in surprise, "Wait! You- You're done?!"

"Yes" Chase lifted his head.

"Whoo-wee." Clay whistled, "Spicer took a fiver as long, and even Omi would've taken more tick-tock than that."

"Begging your pardon, but I am neither of them." replied Chase, "Is there anything else you would desire, Masters?"

"Oh yes!" Omi had spotted Kimiko opening her mouth, "The, um, uh, leaves! Oh absolutely! The leaves of the trees are all over the place! They make it very hard to play Feetball."

"Football. Or soccer." corrected Raimondo angrily for football was his favourite sport.

"I shall do so Master." quickly replied Chase – hearing another one of their eternal, pointless arguments would kill him. Picking up a nearby rake, he soundlessly gathered the dead leaves.

"Why did you do that Omi? Chase had already done so much!" asked a slightly sad Kimiko.

"Chase had only done two chores, Kimiko. That is very little." replied the little yellow monk.

"Two major chores. That pile of laundry dates to last week! Plus I know you guys would make him wash dishes tonight. All the dishes." Kimiko argued.

"All Done." interrupted the servant, standing beside a pile of leaves as tall as himself.

"Aww." moaned the boys.

"How does he do that?" hissed Raimondo. Then the gong for dinner rang, and a tiger came through the temple gates with a can in its mouth.

"DINNER!" yelled the boys and dashed off to the dining room. Chase watched them dash off in inner disgust that they didn't shower after such a sweaty sport.

He turned his head, "And you? Going to run off too?"

Kimiko pulled a like-real face, "Eww! NO! It's so gross. I'm gonna take a shower first. You?"

"Definitely." Then, being a gentleman, he ushered her to walk in front of him. They walked for awhile until they reached her bedroom when Kimiko turned around and asked him a question.

"I really need to know." she looked straight into his eyes, "Did I actually win that Showdown or did you..."

"You won." he replied, but then he lowered his voice and muttered to himself, "Due to a small circumstance."

"What circumstance?", Kimiko could hear him very well. "Did you let me win or not?"

"I just answered you."

"But you also said something after that! 'Something something small circumstance'."

"Can't I talk to myself?"

"Retards do that. You one of 'em?"

No reply. Chase just stared at the air over her.

"Hey. You gonna answer me?"

"It depends on what kind of answer you are expecting, Milady.". With that, he turned and left.

"What the heck?" muttered Kimiko. "LIKE WHATEVER!" she yelled at his back, then walked behind the curtain to her room to fetch her bathing stuff. Pushing her curtain back, a shock awaited her. Chase Young was standing right in front of her. "What?" she snapped. Chase simply stood there, expressionless.

"I will answer your last question Ms. Tohomiko, if you would answer one of mine."

"Ladies first?"

"I was heavily ... _distracted_ by my opponent. Now, you swear to answer mine?"

"Ok."

"Every one of your friends has practically started torturing me. Why haven't you? If it is for a plot of more misery for me, then don't say a word."

"Erm. I, er, um..." Kimiko looked away, just to gaze back at him. Chase, you're my magnet! I can't stop myself from being with you! no no that's stupid. Her eyes trailed to his chest once more. Although the skin was covered, the V-figure could not be blocked from obvious view. She clenched her hands till she was sure her knuckles were white, she opened her mouth.

"HEY KIMIKO! DINNER'S DISAPEARING FASTER THAN TURKEY ON THANKSGIVING!" yelled Clay, his mouth full of rice.

"Yeah. I'm coming." she replied then looked back at Chase, only to find _he_ had disappeared.

"Walau! That girl won't answer even if there was no interruption." growled Chase in the shower. He needed the bath more anyway. Stepping out and changed into the ridiculous baggy jeans and white tee, he made his way to the dining room. Left on the table were two bowls of rice, leftover vegetables and meats, tofu and Lau Meng Long soup. Without a care, he seized a pair of chopsticks and picked his side dishes and swallowed the lot with the rice. Then as he started on the soup, a little girl in a jeans skirt and white tee walked in. He noticed she was trying to look at the dinner and not who she was going to have it with. He didn't. "You still did not answer my question Kimiko."

_Walau is a common Chinese exclaimation like My goodness! Can be used both positively and negatively_

Kimiko merely consumed a few bites before she glanced up. Chase's eyes were wholly fixed upon her. "I don't know how to explain it to you Chase." she said quietly, "I just simply ca - can't do anything bad to you. I – I don't know what it is but I just can't!" she sounded weak, but true.

Chase listened to those stuttered statements. He had drifted into a thought. He remembered there was a time when there was an alternate reality incident. He, or his alternate, was exceptionally friendly to Kimiko, or her alternate. He also rememebered when he had commented on her perfume. In both incidents, she did not react negatively.

"But when I can, I'll try to answer your question properly." Finished Kimiko at last.

Chase simply nodded, obviously still thinking, and mindlessly cleared the table. While washing dishes, pots, pans, cups and utensils piled ceiling high, he was still thinking. While ironing the monks clothing, he was still thinking. At midnight, before he went to sleep, he made this one conclusion; I guess 1000 years can't teach you everything, especially if it is about love. What did you say? asked his nosey mind. You know very well what I said. Then do you mean what you said? pause. "Yes, I believe I do."


	3. Day 2

**Chase vs Kimiko**

**Chapter3 : Day 2**

This time Chase woke up at precisely at 5a.m.; losing breakfast and scrubbing dirt from someone else's pants first thing in the morning before was not very pleasant. After a quiet shower, breakfast and a walk around the temple grounds, he assumed meditating position in a tree near his small room window until dawn.

Kimiko awoke at 5.30a.m. with the help of her PDA alarm. She wanted to help Chase get started early so he could start the day on a good note, before a very _long_ note gets shoved in his face. Without bothering about personal morning care, she tiptoed to his room and pulled back the curtain. Her eyes widened. She gasped in shock. "Where's Chase?!"

Hearing a sound, Chase opened one eye. He saw Kimiko was in his room and decided to experiment a little bit while the others were still snoring away. Sliding off the tree onto the ground, he leaned crossed-armed on the narrow window sill and looked in.

Kimiko was unaware of another presence until she heard someone clearing his throat. Swinging her head around, she came face to face with _him_. Chase was a mere two inches from her and smiling, any closer and one would think they were kissing. Kissing, she sighed. Bah! scoffed her mind.

"Good morning Kimiko.", greeted Chase as he leaped through the window. He wore the same clothing as the night before and was standing in front of her, hands by his side.

"Hey.", replied Kimiko as normally as possible. "I was about to wake you up so you could have a few personal comforts before they wake up."

"That's very thoughtful of you, Kimiko. But have **you** had **your** personal comforts?"

"No, not yet. I was thinking of you - I mean your situation if I wasted any time. Although right now it seems kinda pointless." she turned her head the other way.

Just then, a hand turned her eyes to look into his. Kimiko was taken by complete surprise that Chase was touching her. Her heart pounded hard and she experienced a heart-mind battle. Her fantasy against reality. Emotions versus logic. She shivered, and not because it was cold.

Chase steadied himself before reaching out and turned her head gently so she could look into his eyes. He could feel her shiver at his touch and slid his hand over her shoulders then down arms to take her hand. He bent low and brought her hand to his lips. He kissed the back of her hand with as much meaning as could. He then lifted his head and their eyes met again. He smiled at her lovingly, "If you wish tell me _the_ reason, now would be best my dear."

She was in heaven, "Chase, I - "

"MASTER MONK GUAN!!! I MOST EXPECTED YOU TO COME!!! KIMIKO! MASTER MONK GUAN IS HERE AT OUR TEMPLE!!!" Omi had once again ruined everything.

" - I'll be seeing you." and Kimiko, unknowing to herself, gave Chase her most stunning smile.

Then they both left the room - Chase out of the door with a large roll of paper and Kimiko out of the window to the garden – no one must know.

"Master Monk Guan! Wow! When did you come?" Kimiko asked, seeing everyone else was in a delighted surprise mood.

"I started out of my temple as soon as I heard of your victory, young Wudai Dragon. And I am most pleased and impressed that you have beaten a foe so much greater than yourself. But now I suppose it is the other way around hmmm?" the Master was rather excited despite his controlled posture.

"Yeah." Kimiko replied

"Where is Chase Young? I must see what you have done to him. And may I hear the story of the great battle some time, Kimiko?"

"Sure! We're about to have breakfast, I'll tell you there!"

The whole gang went to the dining hall, chatting at the top of their voices. When they got there, a tall man wearing an apron was laying out several breakfast dishes. Although tempted to just say "Naah!", Chase respectfully announced breakfast was ready.

(_Naah! means 'Here! Take it! I don't care!')_

"Thank you servant. Had no prob finding our list huh?" laughed Raimondo.

"Not at all Master Raimondo." Replied Chase and he held up a roll of paper. Noticing Master Monk Guan, he added, "I will be doing my second task now." before he walked out.

"I know he's evil, but that breakfast smells good." Clay stated before picking up a pair of laid utensils and stuffing his face. The others soon followed, while Chase slipped out.

Chase went to the end of the temple where the long-forgotten cleaning tools were kept. Picking the best mop and least holed bucket, he began to clean every tile in the temple. The time he spent mopping, was the amount of time he spent eavesdropping. Kimiko was trying her best to tell her story to the visitor while the boys were enjoying themselves by interrupting with unintelligent comments and sound effects.

"...and then I called in my element to sail over the lava. Then Chase used the-"

" - And then Chase was like whoosh! Vroom! Wheeeeee-aaa-oooo! But Kimiko was like –"

"WILL YOU IDIOTS QUIT IT WITH YOUR STUPID SOUND EFFECTS ALREADY?!" Her scream could be heard all over the temple.

"Yes ma'm." whimpered the boys.

Chase chuckled inwardly as he took out the rolled list of chores while still kneeling. He opened it. The paper unrolled itself. It rolled out in a straight line out of the door, along the corridor, and finally out of the temple. "What did I do that for?" he sighed as he read the next ten chores he was to do.

3. Take out the trash

4. Garden the plants (trim bushes, snip flowers, mow the lawn, lay out some fertilizer)

5. Clear out the pond (weeds and decomposing plants)

6. Scrub the dining floors (there are a lot of tea stains)

7. Polish the fountain

8. Clean out the toilets

9. Fix the roof

10. Whitewash the walls at the back of the temple

11. Get rid of the rats in the basement

12. Shower

13. Tea for the monks (Kimiko insisted you don't make lunch)

"Today seems fun." mumbled Chase before using the next three minutes to roll the list up. While rolling up When he felt a tug, he looked up. The girl of his dreams stood right in front of him, smiling.

She handed him the remaining paper neatly rolled for him with a breathtaking smile. "See ya."

Chase watched her leave, her perfume mingling with his breathing air, creating a heavy desire. Knowing he was probably not alone, he quickly snapped back into reality and continued with life.

As she walked into the garden, Kimiko wondered if what shehad just done was seen by anyone else. If Master Monk Guan saw that, he will find ways to drag Chase away as he is Heylin and, in the Master's opinion, might be an evil scheme. If Omi saw, again, the boys are gonna try to keep _her_ away from _him_. Ditto on Clay. But if Raimondo saw, he would simply tear Chase Young limb from limb. She knew the Brazilian baboon liked her, and that creeped her out. Sure she had kissed him on the cheek, _twice_, but they were only a sign of appreciation! There was absolutely no way she could like a pompous idiot like him. Actually she did, long ago. The first time they met she felt a certain liking towards him and thought he was the One. It was only when she had met Chase her heart truly beat.

She spent the rest of the day with the boys and Master Monk Guan. They played common games with a martial arts twist - soccer, basketball, Police and Thief, etcetera. Clay had made impressive moves with his earth moving. Raimondo made a hot wind out of every step he took, literally and verbally. Omi created waves five meters high without a drop touching the ground. But the real fighter whom the Master was watching while they played, was Kimiko. He wanted to really know if she had defeated Chase Young by her own efforts – the story did not make much sense to him. Chase could not have missed the Sheng Gong Wu like that. Kimiko shot her fire balls very accurately, conjured up fire kicks and punches and even lava from the ground. But there was nothing special; the others were doing similar stunts. He left the game and went looking for Master Fung. Then they both sat by the temple porch and pretended to watch the young Wudai warriors – they were discussing about Kimiko's victory.

Chase was tending to the greenery of the temple while the Xiaolin monks were enjoying fun games under the sun. He had no idea how to care for plants and was having quite a hard time not snipping every flower in sight; their bright colors burned his dark mind. He had a wheelbarrow behind him and threw all the snipped twigs, leaves and flowers in. He was just laying out the fertilizer when a wave of water came crashing on him.

"Tsunami strike! Water!" yelled little Omi, and Chase was washed away like a flip-flop on the beach. He had landed in his wheelbarrow, sitting, and was carried by the current underwater. He went upside down and all around before ending washed onto the table where the Masters were discussing.

"Oops! Sorry Chase!" shouted Omi before laughing at the sight. Chase had sat not only on the waste in the wheelbarrow, but on the sack of manure as well. The other boy monks joined in gladly and they were soon rolling on the ground in laughter. Kimiko could not help bending down in laughter but she remained standing. Wet, covered in brown wastage and flopped in a barrow, the villain was truly humiliated. Master Monk Guan and Master Fung could see the funny side, but having an evil stink on their tea table did not appeal at all.

"Excuse me." his 'no hair' nemesis scowled.

"Yeah?" replied Chase.

"You are right In The Middle Of THE – "

"YEAH?!" roared Chase

"Just get off the table." said Master Monk Guan

Chase scoffed but leaped off the table and dragged the soaked wheelbarrow down. The barrow bounced and some foul-smelling stuff landed on the Master's head.

As soon as it came to the villain, Chase complimented on their new look. "No wonder you don't have hair on your head. A full head definitely doesn't do well on you."

Master Monk Guan rose to his full height in threat. Chase brushed the dirt off himself and assumed fighting position in reply. They both glared at each other in the eye until the very air around them stood still. They would have probably killed each other on the spot if Omi and Kimiko had intervened a split second late.

"Master Monk Guan! Chase is under our command. He is not anything near our level! Do freeze down!" cried the little boy standing beside his idol.

"Chase! Chill out!" cried Kimiko

The two older warriors glared daggers at each other before taking a deep breath each and turned their backs at the other. Chase stalked off to continue with his chores while Master Monk Guan sat back down in his chair. The young monks lost their play mood and went off to do quieter pastimes. Kimiko couldn't help looking back, and eventually went to him.

Chase could hear her approach him but he took no notice; he was deep in rage and was taking it out on the innocent bush.

"Chase?" Kimiko sat next to him.

"What? And if you need to know, crapping about the latest incident is pointless. I never listen to that sort of things."

"You've never listened much to any sort of thing anyway. Just do something the way you want to." Kimiko waved her arms around to prove her point.

Chase snorted.

"Listen. I have been thinking about - well - this morning...all this time. And, well..." the girl turned to stare at the blooming roses and turned just as red.

"Well...?" Chase glanced at her, his tone softened.

"Well... you know." Kimiko turned away before Chase saw a smiling tomato instead of a teen in love. Unfortunately for her, Chase was a guile kind of man, who knew how to get pele to do what he wanted. He sat down, one leg bent upwards with his arm resting on it and another bent and relaxed on the ground, and simply watched her with soft eyes. Kimiko could feel him watching her and quickly adjusted her expression into a mere curl at the corners. When she turned to face him, her lips trembled and went back to a huge smile. Immediately she turned again but saw Chase at the other side as well. Turning again, he swiftly moved to face her. Kimiko gasped at his agility and her hand made its own way to Chase's angular face. Chase smiled at this, but before she could touch him, he took her hand and kissed it. "You would not want to dirty your fine hand on this piece of filth." he reasoned to her politely. For a moment Kimiko took a look at Chase through the eyes of logic and realized the truth in what he said. He badly needed a shower, or two, or eight.

"And no, I cannot take a shower." he continued

"Who says?"

Chase unrolled his list slightly just to show her the tiny printing where the word 'shower' was squeezed in between two chores far from done. "Puh-leaz! I was the one that beat you and earned you! So **my** orders have more effect than theirs! **And now I order you to take a shower!**" she stood up and folded her arms to show she meant it.

Chase sighed, and submitted to his little mistress. He followed her through the long hallways, running into boggle-eyed and nose-pinching temple monks and finally the grand baldie himself.

"May I ask where he is going?" asked Master Monk Guan

Chase immediately snarled a dirty word and attempted to dart forward. Kimiko lifted her arm slightly to signal him to stay where he was, before she answered th Master. "He needs a shower Master Monk Guan, and badly."

"As long as there is an escort." the Master stood to the side and let them pass. When Chase walked pass him, he shook his head violently and sent dirt flying everywhere. Although enraged, the Master clenched his hand and kept himself controlled while the girl and the dirt bag got out of his sight. Shaking his head in disgust, he left the contained area to fill his lungs with nature's aromatic air. "How could she stand the horrible odour? Or the warrior at all?" Then he paused, and thought for several moments. Instantly a single conclusion surfaced in his mind; he was going to watch them closely for a while.

When they reached his room, Kimiko stopped and turned to face Chase. Chase wasn't looking at her but at the ceiling, deep in his own thoughts. "Hello. Anyone home?" she said before waving in front of his face.

He blinked and looked at her straight into her eyes. Nodding in response, he went into his room and went to the shower area with a bundle of clean clothing. Kimiko did not follow him then, she simply couldn't, but instead sneaked into his room when he was out of sight and earshot. His room was surprisingly clean and tidy, not just considering that he had cats to clean his living quarters for 1500 years, but also that he had the time to. Looking out just in case, she pulled the curtain across the opening and carefully peeked into every nook and cranny of the room. In the cupboard, on top of the cupboard, in every drawer, even under the bed covers. Finally she found what she was looking for, under the bed itself. Why are guys' hiding places so classical? It took me forever to find it! She thought as she opened the book and smiled at the content.

Chase Young sighed in absolute relief – Kimiko's order for him to take a shower was exactly what he needed. As he dried his jet black hair and walked down the empty corridor approaching his room in cat-like silence, he heard a ruffling coming from his room like a page being turned. Oh do not let it be her! Chase paused for a while outside his room and adjusted his emotions. Then he took a deep breath and entered a very obvious smirk on his face. "- and a small drawing from probably last week..." "Good guess, milady"

Kimiko flung her head around and gasped. The very person she hoped she would not be caught by was the very person that was right by her side. Chase was right by her face and smirking in that scheming way of his. Kimiko tried but only managed to stutter some excuse about liking books and some other nonsense. He took a glance at his opened diary and looked back into her eyes. He then brought his hand to the back of her neck and slowly pulled her closer.

Seeing her lips open, he dove in - her lips touching his own. They felt so much softer than in his dreams. He could feel her going weak and beginning to lean on him. Suddenly she jerked back and they broke off, gasping for breath. They stared at each other for a moment that seemed to last an eternity. Finally Kimiko smiled and they drew closer once again. This time though, Chase pulled her in with no sign of letting go. He let his tongue lick her teeth, begging for entrance. Her mouth opened wider and he began to explore her, gently. She moaned and leaned on his chest in total weakness. He let a hand roam over her shoulder and down her back. Using his other hand, he found a wall and dragged himself towards it bringing her along with him. He supported himself and pulled her onto his lap for intimacy. He then moved both hands to her waist and felt her figure in an upwardly motion. She smiled and brought her arms around his neck, giving him more to touch. Just then, Chase gently drew away.

His eyes shone with a desire to continue, but the dark slash in them glowed with serious reason. "Someone approaches." he whispered stroking her cheek, "Go." Then he pushed her off him quickly, not roughly, and shouted, "GET OUT OF MY SPACE CHILD!"

Kimiko was greatly taken aback when Chase ended their moment. But she was even more taken aback when he pushed her off him and shouted at her. But he was smiling and gave a short wink – he was only acting! Coming back into reality, Kimiko played along. "GLADLY!" she screamed and stormed out, sending the room curtain flying behind her. Darting her eyes around while still acting she saw that someone had approached - Raimondo was looking for her. The teen tried to get her attention but obviously failed. Kimiko kept her act on until she reached her room. There, she spent the rest of the time replaying the moment in her mind. Time flew fast; the gong for lunch had rung sooner than she thought. Although she wanted to stay in her dream, she had to keep the game going for Chase and walked out of her room to the dining room in a moody manner.

Apparently the boys were making quite a racket over food until she entered the room. Instantaneously the table was as silent as a grave, save the occasional sounds of utensils scraping against the plates. I should act more often! She giggled in her dreaming thoughts.

Chase had turned to look at Kimiko as his young love walked away. His reptilian eyes blazed with a strong flame, not of anger, but in deep fascination of her. She had sent the curtain flying as she went and through the parted corners he could see who had approached. The Dragon of Wind was also looking at Kimiko and stretched his arm towards her in concern, only to be ignored. Shaking his head, he leaped out of the window.

Landing quietly on the earth, Chase walked back to the half-trimmed bush and continued. Before he could pick up the hedge clippers, three boys stood in front of him in confrontation. "What do my Masters require so urgently that they have to step on the fertilizer?" he asked in a smart ass sneer.

Exchanging disgusted looks the boys moved off to another spot but just as near to the villain as the last. Then Omi started, "Chase Young. I understand you hate us Xiaolin warriors, but raising your voice at Kimiko is very inappropriate behavior towards a lady. Especially since she was the one who –"

"And what do you expect me to do little one?" the evil man growled, "Apologize? You know that's not my style."

"Do you think we even care about you?" snapped Raimondo angrily, "You've hurt Kimiko! And she is one of us. And when someone hurts us..."

"...they're gonna look worse than a pigsty in the mornin'." finished Clay.

"What then, do you propose I do young Masters?" Chase said through his teeth, annoyed.

"APOLOGISE! DUH!" yelled Raimondo.

Chase cupped the back of his ear like he was trying to hear what the boy said.

"I SAID – " Raimondo started

"This will not progress Raimondo. Chase Young is not the type that listens obediently. We must use other methods."

"Really..." The leader's expression changed from anger to scheming. "Alright then, if you don't apologize to Kimiko by tonight, we will not allow you any of your precious Lao Meng Long soup."

"I had said when you lot first owned me that **you** would need **me** to drink the Lau Mang Long soup or else **you** will have a murderous dragon living in **your** temple." Chase grinned devilishly. "It is your disadvantage, not mine. I am fine being a dragon the rest of my life, since it shall be a torment unto Xiaolin monks for all eternity."

"WHAT THE HECK?"

"Hold your horses partner. I think Chase Young's still gonna apologize."

"Clay is right. Chase will obey as he is under our command. But we will have to command him to obey first."

"Yeah right. What would ordering do if yelling our heads off doesn't?"

"Chase Young, I order you to apologize to Kimiko by tonight." commanded the little monk.

"Yes Master." Chase bowed.

Omi flashed a huge grin of victory at Red-faced Raimondo before running for his life. Clay walked off in another direction and disappeared like always. Chase sighed in false defeat and planned pleasure, for he would have to apologize to Kimiko by tonight and by tonight he shall.

After making friends with the garden slugs and other hideously _wonderful_ things, he went on from chore to chore. From the muck of the pond to the badly stained temple floor to the moldy fountain and finally to a place straight from the depths of hell, the Xiaolin toilets. "I definitely do not want to know what had happened here the past 1500 years." Chase thought and held his breath as he clutched his miserable little cleaning tools. Several times he regretted being an immortal. More times he wished he had traded his soul for a potion that could keep him from breathing entirely. But mostly he just thought this was plain sick.

After having done everything else, he strolled into the kitchen to prepare Tea. What they wanted they did not say, but Chase did not have a hard time deciding for them. They can't blame him for what he was going to make .It would be very unjust of them. Ha ha. Unjust. Ha ha!

The gong for Tea soon sounded in the temple and monks came pouring in. Chase had laid out the plates, tea and light dishes beforehand as far as they could guess. Although all were seated, no one tucked in. Everyone was too surprised to even take a whiff. The table had blueberry, walnut and banana muffins, chocolate cake with a smiley face, cookies with M&M bits, three pies and strawberry cheesecake.

One of the elders finally spoke up, "Well, let's eat."

Everyone then took a small bit of something. It was good! Many, including Master Fung, although cautious of any trickery from the Heylin dragon, greatly indulged themselves. Even Raimondo had a thought to let the man go for pissing him off. Omi was very surprised that the food was made by Chase, for he had always thought of Chase as a great warrior with only serious and important things in mind. Clay and Dojo was not thinking of anything but the chicken, mixed berries and beef pies. Master Monk Guan was in great wonder at the excellent cooking skills of his rival. Kimiko's heart cried in joy after her first bite. It was like a spell was cast upon her. The chocolate he had used was her favourite type – the cake was made with creamy dark chocolate. The pies were like from an original recipe. But only the strawberry shortcake brought her higher than heaven. A soft but fragile crumble base, a rich cream cheese filling and a strawberry jelly topping. There were even strawberry fruits, sliced beautifully in halves, within the jelly itself.

Although focused on the miserable chores, he could not help but imagine Kimiko's reaction to his baking. He had heard that she had a sweet tooth for chocolate and cakes so it became his inspiration. He had rushed all over the kitchen dragging flour, running around to prepare ingredients and most of all, turning the place upside-down looking _for_ the ingredients. The sugar was where the salt had been 1500 years ago and vice versa. Yeast was at the end of the freezer. The chocolate was in every part of the fridge but strawberries were no where to be found. He wondered if he could but decided not to at first, but seeing his love without a strawberry sweet smile was a much more painful torture than a punishment from that idiot Raimondo or Guan or both. He made a loud bird's call that passed a message to one of his warrior cats to fetch a few pieces of the fruit for him. It has, so far, not got him into any trouble but he could not see her during the day. Unless it was for a short apology but he had already kissed her, and a simple short moment would be death unto his heart. He would then, have to wait until nightfall to see her. Chase sighed out loud before hearing a giggle and darted his eyes around.

Kimiko had her fill and wanted to thank him. She knew that she was not supposed to see him for their affair's safety sake as the boys were very protective of her. Just because she was a girl, huh! "Shroud of Shadows!" whispered Kimiko and disappeared entirely. Combined with silent steps, she tiptoed past everyone and into the garden. She looked around and spotted him balancing on the temple wall. He was polishing the tiles while making sure he did not fall on the fertilized ground below. He made it look so easy in those cat-like movements of his, and him very hot. Apparently he was not focused on his surroundings and she couldn't help but giggle when he sighed. Immediately he was on his guard and darted his eyes around. She climbed onto the wall in front of him but it was just polished and slipped. A hand caught her as soon as her foot lost hold, so it seemed like she had just pulled herself up.

Balancing herself, she looked around and pulled out her PDA with the Mind Reading Conch to scan if anyone was watching. Realizing no one was, she whispered a cue and covered Chase as well. They could see each other but no one else can and only one thing could happen now. Chase placed his arms around her and slid off to the outer side of the wall.

Still standing, their lips met instantly. He slipped his tongue into her, letting it lap her and softened her. She went and her neck was going to hang backwards. Chase moved his hand behind it and held it there. Breathing her in as he pulled her closer from the top, she instinctively placed her arms around his waist and pulled him closer from below. A bump pushed against her, making her smile and made him groan sexually. 1500 years and now he could feel it coming to him. But his common sense broke the kiss and pulled the Wu off of them. He looked into her eyes and could see she did not want to stop. "I can go no further than that Dragon of Fire. Certain consequences forbid me." Chase hugged the girl in apology, "Your friends may be looking for you. But do not fear my dear, for I still love you." Kimiko smiled and turned to leave with the Wu covering her.

That was all the couple could think about the rest of the evening. Chase washed dishes and cooked dinner with the feeling of her lips heavily in his mind. Kimiko played with the boys, imagining he was right by her side and with her throughout the game. Time flew quickly. Before long, it was night time but Chase had yet to 'apologize' to Kimiko about the incident when he was caught 'shouting' at her. Thinking he could use it as an opportunity, he walked towards her room wearing his last set of sensible clothing.

Kimiko was awakened from her open-eyed dream when her lover's voice tapped into her mind. "May I come in, Kimiko Mistress?". Although very confused about the greeting, the excited young lady pulled back her curtain only to find he was not alone. Behind Chase were her friends, Master Fung and Master Monk Guan. Uh oh. She thought. I'm busted.

"I am sor –"Chase started.

"Eh-hem" cued Master Monk Guan.

Chase rolled his eyes before he dropped down on one knee and bowed his head. "Kimiko Tohomiko, I apologize on my behavior this afternoon. It was very wrong of me to raise my voice at a superior. If your servant could ever be forgiven, I promise to never do you or any of my other Masters any harm. My honour is in your hands."

**This has got to be the lamest thing they could ever do to him**. "Whatever. Night people." Kimiko pulled the curtain back and the sound of a weight flopping on a pillow could be heard.

"Well, looks like you can live now." Raimondo joked as the crowd dispersed. Chase was left alone with Omi just looking at him.

"May I help you?" asked Chase without turning around.

"No. I was just wondering. You sort of disappeared when the wall tiles needed polishing and... well, er..." Omi found himself staring into the Heylin Dragon's narrowed eyes.

"And what?"

"Erm. Nothing!" Omi grinned nervously for a split moment before scooting off. Chase watched for a few more seconds before slipping himself behind Kimiko's curtain. The girl immediately stood up and hugged him, expecting him to do the same, if not better. Instead, Chase removed her hands from around him and put them by her sides. He received a hint from the little cheeseball and he was not going to take it lightly.

"I am afraid we are going to have to cool things down for awhile my dear. Your yellow friend is very observant in mind and very truthful at heart. Thus I take what he says very seriously. I am sorry. Next time we will have to choose our 'private moments' more carefully." He lowered himself on his knees so they could see eye to eye. Kimiko sighed and bowed her head. He tipped her head up and smiled in promise, "And there will be a next time my love.", before planting a kiss on her cheek. Getting up without looking away, he left with an air of love trailing behind him.

The girl sighed in an ecstasy of love for the immortal. Switching off her lights, Kimiko fell into a deep sleep with an image of her darling and his promise in the sight of her closed eyes.


	4. Day 3

**Chase vs. Kimiko**

**Chapter 4: Day 3**

The sun had not yet rose; but the most powerful evil being had, and in a good guys' house. Chase Young woke up upside down - with his pillow under his feet and blanket all over his face. Grumbling about not being able to sleep the night before to himself, he made his bed and went for a wash. As the warm water flowed through his tangled hair, he sighed. He wanted to see her again. But he could not risk having anyone seeing him, especially when there was a fellow early riser under the same roof. Just as if he could read his thoughts, Master Monk Guan could be heard just outside.

"Early rise due to habit? Or is there another reason?" he asked

"None of your business. And by the way, I have the mornings to myself as a privileged rule. At least until everyone else wakes up." replied Chase, not trying to ruin his own mood.

"What form of harm is there to ask?"

"What form of harm is there _not_ to ask?" Chase retorted as he changed into his final set of pleasant clothing from the night before. Stepping out of the shower, he could hear the baldie having his splash in H2O. Not bothered about him, Chase walked away to a tree to meditate. Swinging himself up, he settled himself between a forking in the tree. Before he could start, he noticed from the corner of his eye several controlled scratchings upon the wood. Turning to it, he realized they were writings – and because of the neat design of the vowels, it was obviously done in the hand of a girl. The writing was done in a hurry but was still eligible.

**_Dear Chase, Kimiko here. Sorry if this is rather primitive and childish, but I don't know how else I could pass messages to you. I could try to get my daddy to give me a spare PDA or hand phone so it would take less time for us to talk. Reply please!_**

Chuckling at the teenager's eagerness for communication with him, he decided to play along. He used power from the tip of his finger and wrote carefully.

**_Your translation of my speech is wrong my Dear. I meant that we can still see each other, but only at certain times. Do not worry; you will know when it is time_** ♥

Chase merely managed to complete carving the shape out when he felt another presence. Slipping his belt back on, he shifted his eyes for a glance. The Master Monk was strolling in his direction. In a flash Chase assumed meditation posture and hoped the fella would not see him.

"I can see you Chase, if you think I can't." Guan called up to him.

"I could sense you were coming this way Master Monk Guan, _if you think I can't_"

Guan sighed, wanting to handle the second retorting from Chase. He had never wanted them to be enemies; they were the best of friends and had battled danger together for long years. "I have only just arrived and you are already so worked up?"

"Yes. I am. For you have a tenancy to get in my way of everything. In fact, you are in my way of meditation _right now_." Chase sounded rather pissed.

"Alright. Another time then." The orange wearing man left and headed back into the temple building. Although he hated Guan, Chase could not help but wonder why the Monk bothered to speak to him when they were bitter enemies. He had even fired his question back as answers! He thought for a few more moments then decided to hold the thought, till there's a time when he had nothing else to think about, and resumed meditation.

Waking up with the late morning sunlight shining upon her face, Kimiko smiled a yawn. A daredevil stunt in the middle of the night, vandalism on a temple tree and dodging any watching eyes had knocked her out. I hope he read it today, coz' other people here also like to climb trees... "I have already replied to your little message my love, if that is what you are wondering."

Kimiko sat up in shock and straight away she was taken into him. Chase did not wait for her to realize he was there; he simply brought his lips to hers. She figured who it was and closed her eyes, moving her hands over his chest without breaking the kiss. They were soon around his neck, bringing him closer to her. He in turn trailed his hands down to her waist and pulled her onto his outstretched lap. He caressed her hips slowly and moved up along the lining of her back. Tongues were intertwined as the couple sank deeper into the moment. Unfortunately, they gently drawing away. Their eyes met and they wrapped their arms around each other, savoring the moment. But neither breakfast time nor greedy Xiaolin monks would permit it to last long, causing them to let go. Giving each other one last smile they went their seperate ways. Kimiko headed for the dining room and Chase for the gutter.

Master Monk Guan and the other monks were feasting at the table when Kimiko joined them. The boys grinned a 'good morning' to her as she sat down and chose her breakfast dishes.

"You know, although he's a real pain in the butt, that Chase Young is a good cook. I mean like _real good_ good." commented Raimondo grabbing a toast from the bread basket. "And I usually say nothin' good about that guy."

" I reckon we make him cook for us more often." suggested Clay with his mouth full of eggs, " Just have him stay away from the ribs. It's my old family's trademark and he ain't touchin' my speciality."

"You guys make him do anymore cooking and he'll be doing every chore in the temple!" said Kimiko, snatching the last piece of toast from under Raimondo's nose, "Come on, like, we won't have anything to do around here if that happens."

" But Kimiko, that is what we all want." insisted Omi, " We always complain when we have to do chores and wish someone would do them all everytime! Besides, when Jack Spicer joined us in the temple we made _him_ do all the chores, and you enjoyed it as much as all of us."

"Yeah. C'mon Kimiko, fella's gonna be here for as long as he lives, which is forever. Might as well get him used to it." stated Raimondo.

"But because he is going to be here for all eternity Raimondo," replied Master Monk Guan, "Take it easy on him. Chase Young was a destructive foe, but spending the rest of eternity on the Xiaolin side itself is already fair punishment. Besides," The Master signaled for them to lean closer, "we would want him on our side, won't we? Make his time here _fairly_ pleasant, until he decides to come back."

"You mean he will turn back to the side of good?!?" cried Omi delighted

"SHHH!!" the other monks hissed. Omi slapped his hands over his mouth and turned his head to look around. Raimondo frowned and pulled the little yellow sucker back into the discussion circle.

"There is a slight chance, young monks." continued the Master, "But even if after a long time has passed and nothing has changed, keep the treatment the same lest he suspect our 'plan'"

"You really think he'll change?" asked the stubborn leader, clearly unconvinced.

"I do and do not. Nothing is ever certain with a Heylin. But hope is." Guan stood up and signaled them to do the same. "Continue with your breakfast. I need to speak with Master Fung."

"So we're gonna be up to it, eh?" Raimondo glanced at his teammates unhopefully.

"Well you heard the Master, Rai." Kimiko stuck her tongue out at the boy, "Safe and sound and in one piece."

"But – aww c'mon."

"If there is hope, there's a path!" Omi's eyes glittered in joy.

"Ya know, though it ain't really makin' sense to treat an over cocky cockerel like Chase Young _nicely_..." Clay raised his hat up so they could see his seriousness, "... the outcome sure sounds worthwhile."

"Argh. Not you guys too..." groaned Raimondo, "Fine. Fine. Fine. We'll do what Master Monk **GUANO** says. But if he gets comfy around here don't blame me." He looked at the rest before striding out of the kitchen.

The rest of the group shrugged their shoulders and proceeded to slack until afternoon. Clay went for a walk with Omi, talking about horses and ropes and other brainless topics. Kimiko decided to stroll and relax at the back of the temple where it was shaded from the burning sun. She took out her PDA and decided to message some friends back home. After sending out a few, she leaned back and played a few mind games to pass the time. Like the friends they were, they replied very quickly and very soon Kimiko was on multiple calling. Her conversation was hard to ignore, although he had a rather difficult task right in front of him. Her voice could be heard very clearly from where he was for he was cleaning the room which shared the same wall facing that backyard. Chase soaked an old rag in the soapy bucket then squeezed it till damp. He did it again and again, but even with **his** worth of time spent in solid concentration practice, that girl continuously distracted him.

Kimiko was excited when her friends began to call her. At first all they talked about was their personal lives and issues, until one of them brought up the topic about her new boyfriend. Everyone instantly was in a very high mood as the girl began telling about her first date with him. When the story was all over, they were not able to resist but gang up on Kimiko and demanded information on her _social life_ in the Xiaolin Temple. The Japanese warrior kept silent for a few moments while her friends kept bugging her. Thinking no one was listening; the defeated lass spilled the beans. She told them why and when they started, but did not mention who. He is loyal. He is determined. He keeps his promises. He can plan and care for things in his personal interest. He knows how to handle situations even if the odds are against him. Etcetera etcetera etcetera. Her friends giggled and squealed throughout but still were curious.

"He sounds _sooo_ cute! And hot, girl!"

"Ya! But who is he? You didn't tell us yet."

"Eh? You're right! Who is he Kimiko?"

"Yeah. Like, people always start with the name Kim!"

The fire girl sighed, "I know that! It's just that we are keeping it down a little. You know, at least until everyone else seems cool. He isn't exactly the most liked guy around here."

"You mean, it's not Raimondo?!"

Kimiko shivered in disgust, "Ewww. No way."

"Then who? A new guy came in? Coz' the other fellas **so** ain't your type Kim."

"Totally right. Omi is so high headed and Clay just doesn't have it, ya know what mua means?"

She began to feel hassled, "I'll tell you guys soon, ok?"

"When?"

Kimiko's hand was taken into another and raised up. "When she tells you. That's when." And he pressed the hang up key. She looked up. Chase had crooked one corner of his lips downwards in disapproval.

"Wha – Why did you do that?" she asked.

"You and your little device were getting a little too ... distracting. I could hear you from behind this wall." He gestured to the white cement behind her.

"But everyone else is, like, way over there..."

"Unfortunately there is one who is not like _everyone else_."

Kimiko had a confused expression plastered on her face. The immortal showed her his long hair, before twisting his wrist in a do-not-have sign. "Omi?" she tried to guess. He shook his head and measured a height by reaching with his hand. She took a moment to decipher this before mouthing an 'Oh ok', she smiled in apology and took his arm. Chase smirked back but carefully removed her hand from him and walked backwards, eventually strolling away.

Smiling in an ecstasy of love for the man, the swooning little lady glanced at the time. 1.30pm; lunchtime, and I'm late! Kimiko jumped up and ran as fast as her legs could go. She let loose a fly kiss while passing her love. Upon reaching the table though, the dishes were still half full. The others watched her as she scooped onto her plate some rice and sat down.

"You're late. And a second time today, Kimiko." noted Master Monk Guan

"Yes. And you are never late." added Omi

"Well I was talking on the phone and kinda got carried away. Sorry." Kimiko smiled.

"Yeah we know. We could hear you blabbering for half an hour." Raimondo rolled his eyes.

"You were louder than chickens at feeding time." Clay described what the Brazillian meant.

"I ... was?" Her heart suddenly beat faster, in fear.

"You and whoever you were talking to _sure_ love puppies and chocolate more than life." replied Clay

"And your song discussion drove me up the door! I could not meditate in peace!" cried the yellow monk.

"Don't let your excitement lead you away so easily Kimiko. For there are not only Xiaolin monks here." Warned Master Fung.

"Alright. Sorry guys." After which the luncheon fun started.

Fine young lady she is. Chase thought smiling. He was balancing on a thin plank of moldy wood while cleaning and fixing the gutter. But hopefully Guan was no where near, or meditating or listening out for anything. Although she did speak rather loudly at first, at least the _last parts_ of the conversation were quite soft. "Heng ah". Suddenly laughter rang in his ears, disrupting his thoughts. Master Monk Guan gave out an order before appearing in front of the Heylin on the floor. The Master had a short word with Chase, and then left him to continue with the chores. The relieved man thought over the information he was just given. "Great.", he mumbled after a few moments, "Things just get better and better."

(Heng ah means something like "Whew" or exclaimations like "thank goodness" "thank heaven") 

"Now what we do?" asked Kimiko, looking at her fellow monks who were equally bored.

"Well, we could always have a little swim." suggested Raimondo while grinning at the _girl_, who was the only one for miles around.

Disgusted, she gave the dirty boy a slap. "Sick-o."

"But Rai's right, today's hot." And Clay was right. The sun blazed upon the temple and its grounds, scorching anyone who stepped under its deadly ultraviolet rays.

"I got an idea." said Raimondo. Everyone watched him call his element. Wind from the northern cold blew into the veranda instantly, cooling them very quickly. The Wudai warriors cheered for their leader then relaxed, enjoying the breeze. Raimondo, feeling enlightened about himself, decided to direct the wind into the temple buildings. "Ahh"s and "Ooh"s could be heard along the corridors from other monks, until a yell of disappointment and surprise exploded out in the direction of the kitchen.

Everyone rushed to the scene and found an unnaturally white pigmented man glaring at an empty sack of flour on the floor. The Dragons of Wind and Earth tried to hide their laughter at the sight; Chase Young was covered in the fine powder from top to bottom – not a single strand of his hair was spared! Master Monk Guan glared at the boys, making them slick away. He then dismissed the other sightseers and turned to a remaining two. Kimiko and Omi had walked over to the victim of the treacherous baking ingredient and were offering their help. Not giving either of them a glance, Chase dusted himself and proceeded to clean up the snowy mess. In return, he had the broom snatched from his white hands by the girl and a wet cloth from under his nose by the yellow kid.

"What's the magic word?" smiled Kimiko as she swept.

"Not in the mood." growled back Chase.

"Will it hurt to say it?" chuckled Omi wiping the sink.

The man ignored the question and walked past them and opened a new sack of flour. The two shrugged their shoulders and continued with the cleaning. They did not stop at there though. As soon as they were done, each stood at either side of the silent chef, taking up his breathing space. Chase poured the water into the mixture and mixed trying all the time not to knock the unhelpful helpers. But they would not budge from where they stood, in fact, they shuffled closer every time Chase tried to avoid them. Soon they were so close he could not inhale without bumping into the Xiaolin rascals. "What do you want from me?" he finally asked.

"A thank you?" the boy replied.

"Or a little something else to do?" the girl giggled.

"**Thank** you. And if you want some thing to do, you could let me breathe freely for starters." They moved back and waited for another suggestion.

"Any of you know how to pre-heat an oven? And handle dough? My appreciations."

Kimiko turned the switches and took a piece of dough from Chase. She covered her hands in flour, pulled and rolled the raw pastry around. Chase smiled at the girl on his right before looking at his former apprentice. Omi was working strongly on his piece and was having plenty of problems with the sticky parts. The young Chinese boy squeezed and squashed the dough all over his tray until it was covered in the stuff.

"The tray has more dough than you Omi." he stated.

"It has simply been a very long time since I have kneaded dough Chase Young." immediately excused Omi. "And there are no other reasons!" He applied more strength to the stubborn white blob.

"Yes, obviously." Chase rolled up his overall sleeves. "Would you like me to help you refresh your memory?"

"Oh yes please!" Omi sighed happily. "But first, how do you rid of these?!" the small monk rubbed his hands together in attempt to remove the paste clinging onto his fingers.

"Wash your hands." The man turned his head in Kimiko's direction and rolled his eyes, making her giggle. The lass watched as he turned his focus back to the boy, and her eyes slowly trailed to his exposed arms. They were not flexed or anything like that, but they were obviously strong and naturally well built. Despite the he skin was visibly smooth and tanned in a hot guy kind of shade. She had never seen anyone with such perfect limbs.

"I think you have tortured the dough long enough Kimiko." A sudden voice jolted her out of her daydream. He had stood behind her and curled his fingers around her petite wrists. She looked up and was eye to eye with him, and her cheeks blushed a bright pink. He flashed a charming smile while taking the pastry from her hands and stepped back towards the oven. Her over-kneaded piece joined the other two; one had bits sticking out like a porcupine whereas the other was a flawless oval. "Please wash up the used utensils while I prepare something else for your Tea." asked Chase politely before turning to the dreaded pantry, for anything could be found in that vertically positioned box from pepper to a fat rat from what he remembered 1500 years ago. He opened the door, picked several types of fruits and turned, to face Kimiko.

"Yes? May I help you?" He had a slight glint in his eyes.

"No. But may I help you?" Then she tried to take a few things from him.

"Not in this way." He replied with a crooked smile. He laid out the ingredients and took out a few of the unused utensils from the cupboard. "Do you know where the fruit baskets are kept?"

"Yeah."

"Could you get me some?". Then he whispered, "While I persuade our yellow friend to go somewhere else."

"Sure! " She strolled out of the kitchen while Chase went over to the sink. Omi was summoning water out of the tap and washed the kitchen spotless. Sensing Chase Young coming up behind him, he spun on his heel to look at the man. "And what's afterwards?" Omi asked grinning.

"It's enough what you have done Omi. You may go if it pleases you." Chase directed the eager boy to the door.

"Huh? Really? Is there nothing else I can do?" the boy looked disappointed.

"Yes. But I believe Master Monk Guan would like a little company, for a start, if you do not know what else to do."

Omi gave a puppy dog pout. Chase shivered inwardly, "Or you could set the dining table, then leave."

"GREAT!" yelled Omi as he sped away. Wham! He banged right into a girl and her basket. "Oops! My apologies Kimiko!" exclaimed the surprised lad before helping her up. Kimiko frowned as the boy's dust flew into her face. She shook her head and made her way to the kitchen.

"Hey Chase! Would this basket d –" she could not complete her sentence. Her lips were hooked by another's; Chase Young was starved of his dear. She closed her eyes as a tongue touched her lips, demanding enterance. It searched her mouth hungrily, diving under her tongue to get her going for him. She groaned and felt soft at the hips, at which a strong pair of arms put themselves around. He slowly pinned her to a wall and felt along her spine, making her shiver. He brought his hand behind her neck and licked the tip of her ear. Instinctively she wrapped herself around his chest to bring them closer together. Gently, his other hand trailed down to the curve of her back as he took to her lips again. He went over her molars and finally lapped at a particular gap behind them . She groaned louder and he lapped faster. Realizing they both were going, he pondered the thought of stopping before it was too late. But he could feel the world falling away and his conscience dissolving. He suddenly pushed hard against her, surprising the young girl. She opened her eyes, only to see him in heavy, uncontrollable desire and lust. He moved his lips to her neck and sucked at the skin before caressing her upper body, running his hand over her front. If that was not enough, hands were doing the same inside her shirt. He neared her bra when she could not take it. "CHASE STOP!" Kimiko cried in fear. Chase snapped back into reality and let go of her. The girl covered her front with her arms as the man staggered back, in unbelief of his intentions. Lust, the disastrous desire, had taken over him. He nearly – no, he cannot bring himself to even think about it. Chase and Kimiko looked into each other's eyes until Kimiko couldn't take it.

"Why – What were you doing? In fact, do you even know what you were doing?!" Kimiko was distressed.

"I do not know, honored dear. I –"

"What do you mean you do not know?! We could have lost _something_ very_ important _you know!"

Just then, a teen's voice yelled "You going to bring the food out yet Chase?" He replied, "Soon, Master."

Chase turned his attention back to Kimiko."I am very sorry, my beloved Kimiko." He went on his knees and took the tips of her shaking fingers.

Kimiko took her hands from him as her eyes filled with hurt. "A sorry would not have been able to change anything if _it_ happened Chase!"

"But nothing did happen!" he tried to take her hands again.

"**What if it did?!**" she was about to burst into tears. "Not even your powers can restore us!"

"I am dreadfully sorry." Chase stood and took her in his arms, "I shall be more controlled next time."

"Next time... I am not sure about a next time." She mumbled. bit her lip

"One chance, please my dear. Just one chance."

Another voice broke in, "How long is 'soon'?". Chase replied again, "Soon, Master Monk Guan."

Kimiko bit her lip. She began to recall a little incident that started off just like this she had heard from her school back home, and how it ended. She could see this man meant it, but did he really?

"Alright. But one chance is it, ok?" The Dragon of Fire hoped she had made the right choice.

The Heylin Dragon sighed with relief. "Thank you Kimiko. I promise, I will not do such a vulgar thing again.". Kimiko merely nodded but noticed the sigh he made; she could not help but give Chase a hug around his waist. He was touched, seriously touched, and hugged her back gently. No one had ever given him a second chance out of their choice for the longest time, being Heylin.

Just then, groans of impatience hollered among several hungry youngsters. The couple parted, their arms still around each other and smiled, before letting go. Chase signaled her to stay where she was while he went over to the second oven at the back of the kitchen, and took out a tray piled with baked cookies and muffins of various fillings. "Baked them while you lot were sun tanning." he grinned. Kimiko huffed and took the cooled tray. He did not watch her leave but headed to the stove where there was a pot tea he had boiled long ago and to the cupboard where the Chinese tea cups were kept. Balancing all of them on the last tray available, the skilled Tai Chi master walked into the dining room and laid them down. Without a word to anyone, Chase poured the tea into each cup, bowed, and left for his other chores.

Kimiko watched him leave for a moment before her eyes looked at the ground where he bowed, then to her plate. Will he keep his promise? Yesterday he had the same problem when we kissed, but he could stop himself then. Plus, I didn't wanna stop us yesterday but **he** convinced me that we should! How could he not stop himself today?

"Excuse me Kimiko, but you have not taken a chew of the food."

"Hey Kimiko!"

"Earth to Kimiko! Earth to Kimiko! All food is being consumed from under your nose! Kimiko reply!"

She jerked her head up. All eyes were on her and the table was quiet. Kimiko began to feel embarrassed and said the first thing that came to her mind, "Er...heh heh. Hi?"

"What's the matter Kimiko?" questioned Master Fung. He sounded quite worried for the girl.

"Nothing. I'm just thinking."

"Okay. If you say so." Kimiko looked in the direction of the voice. Strangely, it came from the guy who would have nagged her until he heard an alternate answer from her; Raimondo shrugged his shoulders and went on munching on a chocolate muffin. "So what was taking that guy so long? We were like starving and he just said 'soon' 'soon'."

The girl's heart jumped at the question. She eyed the surroundings nervously and slowly, noting their faces clearly. Swallowing hard, she tried not to lie, just twist the truth. "He was ... uh ... busy, with ... um ... What do you call that thing that sticks to you no matter what?"

"Sticky bread dough?" grumbled Omi, showing everyone the white things on his fingers.

"Yeah. Something like that." Kimiko breathed a sigh of relief. "Can someone pass the bread basket?"

In the meantime, Chase was on his hands and knees fighting the greatest battle in his life; making the main hall sparkle and shine brighter than Guan's head. His weapons, a pail full of diluted soap and a rough scrub. But that was not what the great Heylin Master was thinking about, the thing that mattered was far from a stubborn tea stain. Kimiko would have been the one who would bear his mistake, his incompetence, his child if it be. What was he thinking? Oh yes, NOTHING. And guess what? That was what his life was going to be, NOTHING, **again**. Those ladies did not forgive him; either that or they simply were pimps themselves. He hurled the tool in his hand on the floor mercilessly in his recollection. It bounced off the floor and smacked right into his lowered face. "Wah saì!" he cursed through his teeth. He glared at it for a few moments, slowly his eyes softened in self-regret. He was the one who threw it, not a surprise it flew back at him. Just like the mistakes had. He picked up the scrub and promised out loud from his dark heart, keeping the tool in his sight. He was going to keep this scrub; Kimiko is not like the other women he had met long ago, he was not going to lose her,** not this one and not this time**. Satisfied and sure of himself, Chase smiled in determination and continued with the floor.

(Wah is just the Chinese way of plain exclamation, like 'ah!'. saì means shit in Chinese.)

Now that he was truly focused on the cleaning, he realized how much filth he was going to have to face. His centuries worth of workout was not helping; some stains insisted on staying where they were. Finally he put down the scrub and stood, his head high and arms outstretched straight. Summoning up his powers, he levitated the diluted soap from the pail as well as himself to the center of the whole hall. Closing his eyes, he dispersed the liquid in all directions. The ceiling had tentacles of soapy water swiping the cobwebs and dust, the walls were splashed clean, and the floor soaking wet. Without opening his eyes, he sent the soap into cracks and holes, washing out hundreds of successful bug families and other bits of you-do-not-want-to-know-about. Sensing all was well, the wizard lowered himself onto the floor, opened his eyes and walked out of the squeaky clean hall with the extremely dirty liquid floating behind him. He stopped by the temple wall and looked over. Seeing no one within range, he tossed the filth far out and saw the setting sun.

He blinked at the light and hurriedly headed to the kitchen, just to find it packed with monks. Even Master Monk Guan was there, and he signaled to Chase that they were handling it. Chase nodded but had the look of so-what-do-I-do. The Master handed the spoon to Clay before walking over to him. "The decorations have not yet been put up in the hall. Could you see to it?" Chase nodded. "Good. You may go."

The magician walked back but suddenly froze. He felt a tinge of his power disperse from him and blinked, wondering what happened. Dismissing it as paranoia, Chase shook his head and walked down the hallway and into the storeroom and back into the main hall. He grinned as evil ideas of decoration flitted across his mind. The monks would send his head rolling if he did what he was thinking of doing. Party streamers hanging like cobwebs, balloons coloured disgusting black brown and sick green, and the banner splattered like blood, graffiti of faces of insanity, misery and suffering. But this was for Kimiko and he was going to do the best he could for her, the best for his lady. Lifting his hands, he used telekinesis and hung hot-coloured streamers on the ceiling, dangling at their full length. Focusing hard, he brought in wind to blow up purple, dark blue, black, silver, yellow, hot pink and green balloons. Tying up the rubber air bags, he hung them everywhere as convenient and matching as possible. A large roll of red cloth, twice the size of his bed, he then laid out. He took a moment to design the words in his mind then took a brush and painted out a group of words.

"You're missing something." a teasing teenager's voice suddenly piped in.

Chase looked up and replied, "What else is there, Master?"

Raimondo immediately said, "What about writing _why_ we are proud of Kimiko, eh?"

Chase knew what the boy was getting at, and did not like it. "On a surprise party banner? No better idea could be given Master."

Raimondo understood the sarcasm very well but just threw it back. "Of course!" His face glowed with self-importance. "I was thinking of something along the lines of 'for defeating the all powerful Chase Young'." He saw the warrior drop his head and grip at the paintbrush. Purposely he added, "And you do that, OK?" With that, the Brazilian strode out, a large grin of satisfaction stretching from ear to ear. The servant dude was gonna have to obey his order. Can't wait to see what he's writing.

Chase nodded briefly in reply to the order; the most he could do to hide his trembling of hatred for the Leader of the Wudai Dragons. The Air head knew he had to obey every order, and this one no exception. The immortal crossed his legs and sat up straight. He wanted to take a while to think of another way he could put the statement, a way that would keep him from severe humiliation. He placed his hands on his knees and searched his wisdom for a replacement statement. It did not take long. Soon he was dipping the brush in gold paint and blowing the words dry. Then a voice so dear to him tapped softly into his mind, Hey Chase. How are you, my dear Kimiko? he replied. Fine. I just wanted to say I really do forgive you, again. her words soothed his cold heart. And I was wondering if you would like to – What do you want Omi? Chase was taken aback and asked, Kimiko? Gotta go Chase, and she hung up. He looked into blank space for the next few moments in confusion. Shrugging off her rudeness, he went to put a few finishing touches to the decorations and wash off some paint.

"What are you guys doing?" asked Kimiko, annoyed at the racket made by the two boys. She was sitting in the tree reading Chase's message.

"Raimondo is _most_ dishonorable! He took my bag of candy!" announced Omi in the Wudai Air Dragon's face.

"Did not! You took mine!" hurled back Raimondo. With a battle yell, the yellow victim flew at the lying thief. Raimondo blocked his move, and soon they were rolling in the dirt.

"Stop it you two!" screeched Kimiko as she blasted a few sparks at their pants. "Master Fung will have us doing push ups only Chase Young can live to see us finish!" The boys yelped and fanned at their buttocks with their hands. Raimondo glanced at his pants.

"Please, why would Chase care in the first place?" He spotted a large black mark on his precious khaki baggies. "Awww man! This was good pants! Oh well, at least I'm not the one who's gonna wash it!"

Kimiko put her hands at her hips.

"What? That's what a servant's for, right?" Raimondo was surprised with her glare.

"Yeah but, he's human too." She protested.

"Oh! Of coarse he is! How idiotic of me, Kimiko! That is why he had tried to destroy the WORLD and US!" His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"And turned me into a CAT. OH OH! And allowed the Chi Creature to absorb your Chi! AND AND – " continued little squealing Omi

"Looks like I need'a be more specific..." Kimiko took a deep breath. Just when her mouth opened, there was an interruption.

"Are you standing up for him or somethin', Kim?" Raimondo narrowed his eyes in suspicion. She has been going to dreamland and disappearing from things a lot. He pondered the thought slowly. Like ever since that over-grown lizard came around...

"Maybe!" Her sudden outburst shattered his thoughts, and cracked a corner of his heart.

"WHAT?" Omi's mouth dangled wide and low. "YOU ARE DEFENDING THE ENEMY?!"

"I said MAYBE." Kimiko frowned at the fry's impudence.

"But 'maybe' is closer to a positive reply than to a negative reply." The fry made a balance with his hands as he explained as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Quit it Omi. You're beginning to pluck my nerves." Her eyes were beginning to spark.

"Then what is 'MAYBE' supposed to mean, huh Kimiko?" Raimondo recovered with a firm challenge for the girl.

"Look up in the dictionary, Einsteins." She said though her teeth.

"But there is none in the temple. Besides, we all know the basics of the English language."

"Then _why_ did _you_ ask _me_ what _I_ meant _b_y 'MAYBE'?" The sparks started to cackle into a flame.

"BECAUSE WE..." Raimondo considered upgrading his challenge to a fight. Don't do that!, his mind quietly reminded him, why. The angry soul slowly took a deep inhale. "Because we are worried, Kimiko. But if it not for us to know yet, you don't have to tell us." He spoke just like a gentleman.

"Appreciate the concern, Rai. See ya." Kimiko headed back to her room. The two boys followed her steps with their eyes, each one for a different reason. Omi watched with confusion. But Raimondo's vision was blurred with broken heartedness. For minutes on end they just stood there, wallowing in their own thoughts.

At last, one of the statues moved. He turned and faced the taller one. The taller one became aware of his surroundings and for the next few seconds there was a series of whispering. "I'll take the scaly freak Omi. And that's flat." "You will surely kill him Raimondo. I do not permit it." "Nah lil' man. Just screw him a bit. Confuse him." "Why? Besides, you are better with Kimiko than I am. And everyone knows that you li– " "Shut up you. Its because he has Kimiko defending him. _Why_ is exactly what I wanna find out. But I mostly just wanna screw him." "Fine." sighed Omi "I'll keep Kimiko occupied. But if I do not make it, remember me please." The yellow monk walked slowly, every step bringing him closer to **her** room. The Brazil boy was not even concerned; he had a wise enemy to screw.

Omi's intrusion was not one bit to her liking. She had just linked herself to Chase's mind and was about to start a conversation. Hanging up was not her favorite thing to do, much less on the guy she loves. "What do you want, Omi?" she grumbled politely.

"Just hoping we could converse..." Kimiko revealed her eyes, and they threatened to pierce right through him. "...as civilized friends _please_!" The little boy shielded himself with his short arms, bracing for a girl-powered-whipping. The Fire Dragon raised her eyebrow and laughed at his pathetic attempt at self-protection against her. Omi peeked out from atop of his arm. Kimiko lowered her PDA and patted him on the noggin. "I'm not gonna hurt you. But you sure know a heck of a time to pay a visit."

"Was I interrupting something?" He tried to look into the screen

"Kind of." Kimiko pulled it away from his view, to her left.

"What is it that you are doing?" He crawled over to the device.

"Something." Again Kimiko pulled it away from his view, this time to her right.

"What is this something?" He proceeded to reach for it.

"If asking questions and nosing in my stuff is your opinion of a_ conversation_, I'll tell you my opinion of _civilized_!" she growled in threat.

"I shall be quiet now." Omi sat back down in front of her, twiddling his thumbs. Silence hung dryly in the air, except for the beeps from the little gadget she was working with. Feeling uncomfortable and annoyed with his presence, Kimiko cocked her head up and groaned, "What is it that you want, Omi?!"

He stuttered, unsure of what to say. "Well, er...erm"

She, on the other hand, was a ticking time bomb. "Say it or leave it."

Unable to hold back his suspicions he blurted, "Do you like Chase Young?"

Kimiko's mind boggled. Her heart thumped hard. She squeezed her PDA in anxiety. She could feel her eyes were about to pop from their sockets in disbelief at the under-grown nosey parker. "How did you know about this." She finally whispered, more in fear than in anger.

"On the first day Chase woke up in the Xiaolin Temple, you were spending time in his room." He glanced up, watching the girl's reaction. "Then the next day, I kind of a , heh heh, noticed that you disappeared from out Uno game and so had Chase from the Temple wall. Then when he had to apologize to you that night, he kind of stayed behind looking at your curtain. Then today..." His voice trailed to nothing as he saw a being leaning on the window sill. Kimiko turned and gasped, in both happiness and embarrassment. The very guy they were talking about was right within earshot. "Then today what, little one?" His lips were twisted downwards at one corner, and twisted upwards at the other.

"Eh heh." Omi rubbed the back of his head. "And ,erm, today is... such A GREAT DAY! I WILL BE GOING FOR A WALK IN THE GARDEN NOW! BYE!" He tried to run out of the room but as he expected, a strong arm knocked him off his feet and picked him up by the back collar of his Xiaolin suit. He was dangling, and facing the most powerful evil being in the whole world.

"My question was not answered; therefore you are not going for a walk in the garden on this great day." The reptilian eyes threatened more than to pierce through him.

"Then today..." The Wudai Dragon of Water suddenly gained back his dignity. "Put me down Chase Young! Your threats do not frighten me! Hiya!" Omi kicked the hand that held him and landed on the ground in defense position.

"I did not threaten you little one, I simply asked you to continue speaking." Chase rolled his eyes at the boy's paranoid conclusion.

"Oh." The boy looked embarrassed. Kimiko stood up shaking her head with a smile on her face. Chase spared her a gaze, but turned his attention back to him just as fast. His and her eyes had the same questioning look, with a glint of demand. " Well today you both were very, how do you put it? Were very..."

"Ok. We understand." said Kimiko, sounding bored.

"Does anyone else know of this?" asked Chase.

"I do not think so." Omi changed his tone to one of sickening curiousity. "Does that mean you and Kimiko really are...?"

The two exchanged looks before saying in union, "Yes."

"Ooh! This is most fascinating!" The excited little boy clasped his hands together. But his expression changed very quickly. "But what would the other temple monks say of this? Or our friends?"

"Nothing." Chase simply stated.

"Because they are not even going to know about It." continued Kimiko.

"Unless we decide that they should be in the know." added Chase.

"Which means you are not to say a word." explained Kimiko.

"At all. If you do, well, you know what would happen." finished Chase.

Omi moved his head back and forth between them. It was quite freaky that they can finish each other's sentences without even looking at each other. He scratched his bald head and asked plainly, "I do not wish to be rude but, how did you do that?"

"I do not intend to burden you with such knowledge, little one." said Chase, barely amused, before growling, "Do you understand what would happen if the beans are spilled?"

"My insides will go out?" suggested Omi weakly.

"Ewww. Not to that extreme but, I guess you get the picture." replied Kimiko with a shiver at the thought of seeing Omi's insides.

"I am glad we understand each other." announced Chase, "Now please leave. I would like to be alone with Kimiko." the man turned to smile at his girl. Omi murmured an ominous 'yes' and left the scary couple in a hurry.

"Now, what were you saying to me Kimiko?" He asked as he picked her up, bridal style, and sat her down on his lap on her bed. He held her back with one hand and placed the other on her lap. She giggled at his gentle boldness and rested her head on his strong shoulder in reply. He raised one eyebrow in a questioning gesture. She put one hand on the center of his chest and looked up, no smile present on her face. She showed him her PDA and handed him an earphone, putting another in her ear. He took it and slipped it in his as it played her thoughts.

_I'm afraid that Rai is not happy with anything that has to do with you._

_He had just had a conversation with me half an hour ago. There was nothing positive in it but he seemed to enjoy it. In what sense is he not happy?_

_That I am standing up for you._

_You what?_

_I have stood up for you._

_For what exactly my dear? You know that I can definitely take care of myself._

_They wanted to add more chores to your list. And Raimondo keeps talking about screwing up your life. Well he didn't really say that but he means to!_

_Hmmm. Times were friendlier in the past._

With that, he took the earphones off both of them and cupped her soft cheek. "But the present is a much lovelier time." The words touched her heart, but made her conscience jump up in alarm. Her eyes carefully observed his every move, cautious of his intentions.

He was no different; he knew she was on her guard. He didn't blame her for it. Slowly he bent down, to plant a gentle kiss on her cheek. She gasped. Her surprised eyes ones peered into gentle ones. They begged for her forgiveness again. She took his face in her petite palms. Now she knew she could trust him, and it is time for a reward. She brought his lips to hers. Their breath swirled on each other's skin. Contact was near when they suddenly brushed apart.

Chase pricked up his cat-sensitive ears. Attention to the outside, he whispered a sad apology and slid her onto her bed. Kimiko nodded and took her PDA into her hands, pretending he was not there. Just before he crawled out of the window she turned and watched through her yearning eyes. A soft sigh escaped through her disappointed lips.

Knock knock.

"Who's there?" Kimiko asked.

"Raimondo. Can I come in?" a well-known voice answered.

"Yeah. Sure." was her only reply. The boy was not sure if she was in a good mood or not, judging by her tone. A mix of happy and sad, it was. And why I wonder...

"You Ok?" He asked.

"So so." She rotated the sides of her hand up and down.

"Well I'm not gonna make it long." He looked to see if she was listening. The center of her black head was the only thing that faced him. "I'm sorry Kimiko. I don't know why you are on that guy's side but, if it suits you it suits you. It's not like I can change it."

Kimiko looked up with her eyebrow raised. "Are you really saying that?" She did not believe that Raimondo, the cocky bugger, would apologize at his own account.

"Yeah I am." He actually sounds sorry, she thought quietly. "And I was wondering if you would like to come to dinner."

"It's dinner already?" Kimiko looked at the sky. It was certainly time for the evening meal. The sky was dark and half the moon was visible over the temple roof.

"Well duh!" he dragged, "I mean, yeah it is."

The girl huffed the remark off her mind and followed her leader to the – hall? "Hey Raimondo? Why are we here and not...there?" The boy had disappeared into thin air, and the hall was so dark. There were objects, objects that were never in the enclosed area before. She walked in, feeling the mysterious forms. "Tables?" she bumped into something, _crunk_. "A chair?" _Clink_. "Glass?" Suddenly, a sound of rubber came over from above. Looking up, she got the fright of her life.

Blam! Lights came on full blast!

"SURPRISE!" At least a hundred voices rang in union. "Moonstone Locusts!" commanded a solo voice of a leader. Colourful streamers rolled out from the ceiling! Out of Party poppers sprang a rainbow rainfall. Confetti! Atop the neatly aligned tables were laid cakes, chicken wings, kebabs, chips, dumplings, fries, spring rolls, tarts, baby back ribs, egg rolls and all her favorites! At the two ends of the long line of tables were jugs and large bowls of punch and ice-cold water. To top it off, ice-cream in the center of the whole party!

"Wow." she gasped. A large red banner rolled out. Golden and shining like night stars were the words painted, 'Well done Kimiko! We are proud of You!'. And in smaller wordings, 'For bringing Chase Young to You.' There were light, delicate patterns on the edges. Artistic stuff! she thought, Makes me wonder who did it. She looked around but saw no sign of him.

Monks laughed and surrounded her. with her party mood brought in, she put the thought aside and decided to enjoy the party in her honor. Words and thanks phrases flew to her ears from Master Fung, Master Monk Guan and the other older monks around her. Clay pulled her to the buffet tables and offered her to take the first bite. "Oh my gosh!" she cried between the mouthful of barbeque rib. Just as she was about to swallow, loud dance music boomed from two huge black boxes. Raimondo was the DJ, and a good job he was doing. They were perfect party songs. Pop, Techno, Rock and Rap! Lights flashed on and off in different colours. "You guys make me wonder where you got these things from!" Kimiko yelled over the music. The boys laughed at her remark and the party started.

Meanwhile, Chase Young sat alone in the small dining hall. Sipping at his Lao Meng Long soup, it was the only warm thing he had. Music beats drummed in his ears, but joining the Xiaolin mob was one thing he was not going to do. Sure Kimiko will be there, but she is not going to be there. Everyone else will be swarming over her and his presence will just take away the celebration mood from her. She would not be able to focus on her friends or her Masters but only on him. Not that he would not like it, swooning over him in front of them would jeopardize everything. Master Monk Guan would have more than a thing or two if he found out!

"Master Monk Guan..." he murmured. That man has been nothing but weird around here. Usually he would leave me alone, but nO! He had came along and jabbered cryptic lines even I don't understand. He swallowed a gulp of the dark green liquid. An evil sensation settled in his cold mind, bringing the unbothered demon back into the scene. "But who cares about that, when you've got _Her_?" he breathed that word with a smirk. Yeah, that is all I need around here. Being here is something I didn't need, but she's an abundance more than worth it. She was different from the past ladies he had met, and ranked too high from Wuya. He spat. That witch is worse than this madhouse. At least for this while of my life I don't have to see that horrendous figurine.

He sighed again. His soup was finished. He stared at the empty china bowl. The empty china bowl stared back. "This conversation is not getting anywhere." He muttered. Washing the utensil well, he strolled to the shower room. The warm water flowed through his hair once again, replenishing his cold soul. It covered his entire body with its soothing touch. He let out a soft moan of peace. He stepped out, a towel around his waist and headed for his room. Putting on one of his undergarments and Heylin black pants, he laid his head on the pillow. Not as comfortable as his palace but he had to agree he did not need anything more than this. Putting his hands behind his head, he fell asleep.

Hours later, a small person crept into his room. She saw the man deep in his dreams and smiled. Pulling the blanket over his half-clothed body, she kissed him lightly on his lips. He stirred, but did not wake up. She then left as quickly as she came. But unknown to her, he had watched her go.


	5. Day 4

**Chase Young vs. Kimiko**

**Chapter 5: Day 4**

Morning sunlight flowed into the room of a teenage girl, lighting the entire scene. Kimiko mumbled sleepily and rolled over in discomfort. A sound of curtains being drawn across the window lazily slipped itself into her ears. She smiled in the comfort of the shade, as well as in the comfort of a gentle kiss on her cheek. Half-opening an eye, she saw a man swiftly slip out of her room. "Mmmm, Chase." She murmured tentatively. A paced footstep was heard shuffling next to her bed followed by a soft, loving hush. Warm fingers stroked her cheek. The moment lasted until she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was his crossed legs and the _gap_ between them. "What might you be looking at?" he teased in a horny tone, noticing her widened eyes expression.

She scoffed the question off. "Shut up. And wipe that look off your face.", waving her hand in his face. Chase simply smiled back, "Good morning to you too, Kimiko." He offered his hand. She took it and sat up, stretching her arms. she yawned, "Ahh. Morning Chase."

He replied not, but looked deep into her eyes. She looked back into his. Instantly their lips locked together. She slid her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. She ran her hands in his long hair and breathed deeply his fresh scent.

He hugged her and pulled her onto his lap. He slid his tongue through her lips, finding his way in and exploring her slowly. She moaned in pleasure. She lifted her own tongue to have a taste of his. He felt her give him a try and stroked along her to encourage her.

They curled together playfully. Happily together they teased each other. She licked him well, surprising and delighting him very much. He tickled her all over her mouth. She slowly followed his moves, tapping the top of his lip.

He snatched her head and plunged his tongue deeper. He stretched in to lap behind her molar. She sprung back at him by nipping his lower lip.

Pleasure surged through his entire body. Slowly he pushed her below him. He leaned over her, making her lie under him.

Taken by surprise, she flapped open her eyes. He sensed her gaze and broke the kiss. With a loving smile he propped himself on top of her. He awaited her response.

Kimiko took a quick glance at their legs, giggling. She slipped her arms off his neck, making Chase groan in disappointment. His expression - sullen at first - curled into a smirk. He began lowering himself upon her. The girl's heart beat fast as he neared her. She squeaked, "Chase... what are you doing?"

"You teased me." he replied lustfully, "I am simply going to return the favour."

With that he pinned her down and laid his body on her tiny one. She wiggled, struggling from under him. Not again! Her mind screamed. Her face displayed all characteristics of fear.

He leaned his head over hers. She shut her eyelids tight, feeling his breath flow over her skin. She threw her head to the side, refusing face him.

Interestingly, his lips plainly came in contact with her cheek. Finished with his stunt he removed himself from above her to her side. She peered through her eyelids. His head lay next to hers on her pillow. All thoughts of _privacy_ violation faded as she saw his pupils dance with amusement. A few of her thinking moments went past, similarly his eyes were forever laughing.

Finally she clicked her tongue in annoyance and reached to hit him playfully. He sat up, dodging the blow. She raised herself up and tackled him again. Again he dodged her blow. Giving up on hitting, she decided to trap him instead. She lifted a hand to strike. As she thought, he dodged the expected blow. Immediately she jumped on him, forcing him to lie down. He grunted and glared at her; the nerve she had to do this to him was indeed not what he expected. "This is the second time I've beat you Chase!" Kimiko sat on top of him proudly.

"And how." Chase replied, lowering his eyes to their position and closeness. She had her legs apart and over him, their front asses in close contact. She puffed off the remark but got off him quickly, a blush reddening her face. She stood up and opened her cupboard while covering her face with a hand. Nonetheless he managed to notice it. He pounced up and seized her to glimpse the red on her petite face. Hurriedly she squealed, "Shoo! I wanna change!" She swung her arms, swatting him away. "Really?" he started monotonously, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. He put his arms around her waist then continued in her ear, "Alright then, change."

A boom exploded, followed by yells and sounds of falling bricks. Kimiko gasped at the sudden noise. Chase instinctively directed his ears to the after-sounds. He heard a faint voice of a familiar sounding teenage boy. "Ha ha! Xiaolin warriors? You?" the voice mocked, "You have got to be kidding me!" The name of the mocker was on the tip of Chase's tongue yet he could not come to himself to say it.

But another voice broke his concentration. "Erm, Chase can you let go? I'm gonna be needed out there." He apologized and released her with a smile, before going out of the room and towards the explosion. No hurry, he thought. It is probably one of their other ridiculous foes. Passing one of the wooden Chinese decorated windows, he looked out. A boy in a designed-torn black coat, thick black boots, red hair and pale skin hovering above the ground on backpack propellers spelled wannabe evil boy genius. Chase's eyes opened wider than usual. "Spicer." he croaked in shock. He hurriedly ducked when the teen turned. That insect cannot know that he was here, he knew. A big mouth and no brain mean trouble. He cannot be seen, he thought and quietly crept away. Out of the blue he heard his name announced by the boy, forcing him turn back and look through the wooden window again.

"Where are your robots Jack Spicer? Hiding, like you would be?" asked Raimondo over-confidently.

"It's not my robots you should be afraid of little man." Jack snapped his fingers, much to Chase's disgust. The ground began to shake. Cracks formed on the earth followed by roaring and groaning. Two metal incisors burst from the ground and a head emerged. Soil flew in all directions as the gold and black creature crawled from a brown hole. The creature's eyes glowed red. Its metal back was wrinkled and claws sharp.

"What is that thing?!" exclaimed Kimiko.

"That, Kimiko, is my new invention. The Bladed Mole Rat 101..." proclaimed the proud creator. The ground shook again and another metallic monster crawled out, and another and another. "...102, 103, 104..." The monks were swept off their feet. The final member of the family had arrived. Three times larger then the rest, it was not just armed with claws but its head had a crown. "...and their Queen!" Jack cackled in his retarded evil laugh, but it managed to taunt the fearful fighters.

The leader clenched his fist, "Wudai Orion Formation!" Omi held Kimiko up, Raimondo and Clay posed at the sides. In a flash, they were outlined in their element colours and shaded in black. With full power at their fingertips they charged forward. Hearts raced as they fought. Omi washed waves over the terrible Moles. Kimiko blasted fire at their bellies. Raimondo swept 150-miles-per-hour winds. Clay hurled tons of earth. But defeat was near. The Moles were resistant to every solid attack.

"Oh. And did I forget to mention that these guys are waterproof? That they can stand up to 1500°c? That they are over 6 tonnes each? Are made of highly modified titanium and ten times stronger than steel? I guess I did." The boy cackled again. The Wudai warriors did not hear him mock, backing their way from the mechanical monsters. One mighty swing of their arms and they knocked the boys out. Kimiko had curled herself in fright on the ground. She heard a yell of anguish and another of attack. Clattering and smashing came and ended as fast as they did. She glanced past her fragile self shield. In the middle of a pile of broken robots stood two figures of victory. One had long hair the other wore a Xiaolin robe. The two most powerful fighters in the world looked at their work then one turned his attention to her. The troublemaker swallowed hard before his jaw dropped at a familiar sight. "CHASE?!" Jack screamed girlishly.

Chase flinched at the voice addressing him. "Yes Spicer?" he hissed through his teeth.

"Wha – What are you doing here?! With them?! In that!" The boy was in complete shock of his evil idol dressed in jean overalls and white shirt.

The man helped the girl up without casting a glance at the fool.

"You are on their side?!" Jack's face grew paler than usual.

"Yep. So you better watch your hide Jack, unless you want the same treatment like your 'bots." answered Clay.

The albino swung his head between the Xiaolin monks and Chase. He saw Kimiko give the man a brief smile. Chase did the same. Jack at last could no longer take it. He hurriedly buzzed away like a freaked fly, all sorts of gibberish echoing from him.

Chase Young watched his dear's lovely smile with a heavy mind. So beautiful, yet so costly. Word will spread faster than wildfire, he groaned inwardly. Nonetheless, he smiled back, I will enjoy the present while it lasts.

"Alright you." Raimondo pointed at his savior's turned back and addressed him suspiciously. Chase slowly rotated his head and stared with empty eyes. Raimondo continued, "How exactly did you scare Jack off? And more importantly, why did you help us?". Then under his breath he muttered, "Or help her..."

"I promised to serve the side of good. I am simply keeping my word, Master Raimondo." said Chase.

"But you did not just saved our backsides by fighting." squeaked Omi, "You also risked other evil knowing of your loyalty to the Xiaolin side!"

"I had anticipated that risk even before losing the showdown four days ago, Master Omi." assured Chase , "Including advantages and disadvantages alike."

"What do you mean by _advantages_?" snapped Raimondo, his thoughts drawn to the only girl for miles around.

"A useful quality or condition that something or someone has, Master Raimondo." replied Chase humorlessly. He gazed in the direction Spicer had gone.

"That is definitely not funny." growled Clay in his cowboy tone.

"Chase Young, you are not someone who speaks pointless epigrams." chided Master Monk Guan, "And as your superiors, I believe the Wudai Warriors deserve much more **respect **from you." He cocked his eyebrows with that word.

"It was not pointless, it had a purpose." protested the man, his voice brimming with equilibrium. "But no how, this place gives me a chance for personal memory refreshment and an adequate amount of psychological and emotional relief." He then closed his eyes and bowed before the Xiaolin crowd.

Master Monk Guan observed Chase for a few moments before speaking, "I wish to see you behind the temple, Chase Young." The lowered head rose in questioning. "Now." The Master ordered. The man in overalls merely obeyed the order and slithered away. Meanwhile a puzzled murmuring had exploded from the crowd. Everyone was wondering what the epitome of evil was talking about. 'Emotional relief' was their main concern, especially Raimondo's. Finally a commando voice silenced the rest, later making the crowd disperse. The four teenagers, however, just slinked away to the back room of the temple. Kimiko had her PDA and a shrunken Mind Reader Conch in hand. Master Monk Guan went to the back garden.

The murmuring was but a buzz in Chase's ear as he strolled farther and farther from the crowd. He was in his own world of thought. 1500 years of knowledge flooded his mind, blocking out almost all noise and sight. Wuya would be _after_ him, Hannibal Bean would be all up for his humiliation and Spicer for plain idolism. It would all happen within the week and he had no plan, although his anticipation for such a time had already occurred to him.

Someone from the side called him. His vision drifted back into a green garden, where in it foods have been grown for centuries. The crops were as healthy as he had seen those of years ago. The soil they were planted in was reddish-brown; the perfect lot of earth for agriculture. But the beauty of the backyard did not catch as much of his attention as an orange wearing warrior standing a couple of meters away from him. They both posed in the shade of the temple. To a common passerby they would have looked like statues.

Moments passed, and the world's two most powerful beings were still staring pointlessly at each other. Finally the long haired one broke the silence with a hiss of impatience. The other exhaled slowly then explained the situation from the Xiaolin point of view in the term 'advantage'. Chase Young constantly gave the classical scoffing and folding of arms. Nothing went into his head. Nothing needed to go into his head. There were more important things for him to think about.

When the Master was done, he decided to share his thoughts. His words were quiet. Twisting each and every syllable was his best skill and he used it well. The Master's face darkened with each sentence; the cryptic messages were plucking his nerves. "And so Master Monk Guan, there is no such thing as a sacrifice. Only a strong will." Nicely he bowed, and turned his back on the one audience. His sharp hearing caught the sound of one trying to regain his peace of mind. He cackled for a split second while making his way to the famous storeroom. Fetching hand brooms and dusters he proceeded to the sleeping quarters for clean-up. Meanwhile there was a great discussion going on in the epicenter of the Temple.

"What the hell?!" yelled Raimondo in fustration, "How could you let him go with an excuse like that?! It's crap!"

"He has perfected the art of enshrouding his meanings." responded the Master slightly irritated by the boy's disrespect, "Chase Young is naturally cryptic and cunning, if you will. Like all the other powerful Heylin. There is evil in those words. Evil, or something worse." The words tasted bitter in everyone's throats.

"What could possibly be worse than evil, Master Monk Guan?" instantly asked Omi, a certain flashback buzzing in his head.

"I do not know." The Master's tone was unnaturally low. "But in the midst the lies, the truth stands out." as soon as those words were said, he left the room. The teen boys continued discussing. Raimondo and Clay tried recalling all incidents since the showdown. Chase's defeat, Kimiko defending his rights, (blablabla). Both of them were so bent over recalling they took no notice of Omi's silence throughout. The yellow monk listened to his friends, worried. Do not figure it out. Do not figure it out. Do not figure it out. He kept pleading.

Unfortunately Raimondo was in a sensitive mood at the moment and noticed creases forming on his teammate's forehead. "What's up with cue ball?" he wondered aloud. "Yo Omi, what you thinkin' about?" he asked casually.

"DO NOT FIGURE IT OUT!" screamed Omi, freaked out of his life. Suddenly he realized he had said that and clapped his hands in front of his mouth.

"Whoa whoa. Take it easy partner. You're more worried than a tree at a beavers' Thanksgiving party." Clay said, cooling Omi down. The small fellow took long deep breaths. The other two gave him space.

"So..." Raimondo broke the silence, uncomfortably. "What figure what out Omi?"

Omi jerked his head up "Nothing! Nothing at all, my good friends!"he stuttered. His friends gave him a look of unbelief. "Really! You can ask Kimiko if you don't believe me!" he pointed at where Kimiko was seated. There was a silence. Omi turned to look in the direction he pointed at. Kimiko wasn't there, and Raimondo was shooting him suspicious glares. The yellow monk giggled nervously at his leader.

Chase Young tossed a shovelful of upturned dirt into the hell-big holes, his face twisting harder with every toss. He was bent on worry and planning; something very foreign to his calm personality. Ideas surfaced continuously, just to be struck down by concern for her. "I should have trained Kimiko instead of that little one.", he growled in regret. "So many plans I have to throw aside for her lack of martial arts mastery." Just then, a pair of black street designed boots stepped onto the dirt. "I figure you heard that." he said without glancing up.

"Yeah." replied Kimiko. So what are you saying by 'lack of martial arts mastery'?" she restated his words with air quoting.

He stood up straight and rested his forearm on the shovel handle, facing her. "Your skills in terms of martial arts are, unfortunately, too low in my standards. No offence meant to your Masters, but I had hoped you would have been better trained. Excuse me." Then he continued tossing dirt.

Kimiko gave a snort. "I am good enough for any plan! Besides, what could Jack do?" She rolled her eyes humorously and raised her arms exaggerated. "Tell the world?"

"You don't know Spicer." he mumbled tunelessly. "That pissant is so mindless I'm surprised he knows how to breathe." Then he stopped digging, stood up and placed his hands on the spade handle. Their eyes met, but nothing happened.

"So, what's gonna happen if the world knows?" she asked tucking her green-streaked hair behind her ears.

"A lot of things." he replied with a sigh. He looked down, leaning on the garden tool. "All affecting you and I."

Kimiko tilted her head in confusion. Seeing he took no notice of her unvoiced query, she walked quietly to his side. He still made no move. Her hand lifted onto his. He blinked at her bold move before slowly turning his head to smile gratefully at her. She smiled back and stood on tiptoe, closing up to his lips. His smile did not waver, but he did not kiss her. He put a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head. She lowered herself and pouted, stalking away from his arms. With her back to him she folded her arms. Chase Young remained stolid, standing where he was.

BAM! A door flew open.

The shocked couple whirled their heads around. At the front door stood three obvious creatures – an infuriated Raimondo, a battle-ready Clay and a nervous Omi. Chase did not give face to the little yellow liar, whose knees were jellified or to the snorting cowboy. He lazily rayed his vision into the eye of Master Raimondo. In his defense, Master Raimondo hurled back with icy stares.

Kimiko watched the glare battle rage on from behind her lover. "Hey, like, how long are you guys gonna do that?" she droned, her arms still crossed. However, she really just wanted to scream her lungs out.

Raimondo did not budge, leaving Clay to reply her. "Until we get some answers from this _Chase Young_." That Texas slang hit her heart like a bullet, making her gasp.

"But being the epitome of evil, I doubt he'll give us any believable answer." Raimondo broke in, snarling but still glaring.

Chase raised one eyebrow. "An answer, Master Raimondo?" he inquired.

"Don't act stupid, stupid." argued the boy, "You know as well, if not better, than we do!"

"Time to let 'em cats outta them bags, fella." decreed the other accuser in a ten gallon hat.

The accused had a look of utmost clueless ness plastered on his handsome face. Kimiko felt fear creep into her nerves and she almost blurted out an excuse, if not for his quick response. "I do not know what you are talking about." Then he further explained, "As you can see I am only refilling these holes made by that twit, Spicer, this morning and Kimiko wondering around the area."

"Yeah right." Raimondo jeered. "What's the real story Kimiko?"

"Pretty much what Chase said." she claimed cautiously then pointed at her footprints in the earth, "Except the part that I stepped all over the dirt he dug up."

"Nice one Kimiko." Clay mildly chuckled.

"You're sure..." Raimondo cross-examined her.

"As sure as the fact that you're getting very annoying." Kimiko elaborated the statement and tapped her foot.

The leader's face darkened at her words as he turned to walk back into the temple halls. Clay briefly reminded her about breakfast, before following suit. Omi stayed behind, meekly squeaking apologies to the girl and Chase Young. Chase ignored him, like he had always done after Omi left the Heylin side. Kimiko, seeing him take no notice, did similarly with a sigh of relief. She walked past without looking at him, heading towards the kitchen. The young monk tiptoed behind her.

Chase stood motionless with his eyes on the ground for moments on end, thinking of what other disasters awaited them on the path of romance.

In the dining room, things were back to normalness, if it not for the silence. Most of the company had their tongues tied. The only words said were Clay's episodic breakfast comments and the soft tapping of cutlery knocking against utensils. Kimiko made attempts to help the situation, but it turned her down making her feel pathetic.

"Come on, guys!" she piped up as her final try, "I thought you all were alright about what'a happened outside!"

Raimondo grunted. Omi dared not look her in eye. That was all the reply she could get. Shaking her head in defeat, she put her plate in the sink and picked up the sponge. "Leave it Kimiko. Chase will do it." suddenly said her leader. She swirled her head in his direction. This was the first time he had mentioned that name since Chase had arrived there. She scanned the looks on her friends – no one else had noticed what she did. With a shrug, she gingerly treaded her way out.

Kimiko pondered over it as she paced down the hallway to her room. Her teenage brain triggered little thoughts of all kinds; why did Raimondo suddenly just say that? Is he jealous? If so, is it because he really _really_ liked her, like she had thought before? The girl scrunched her face in disgust. Did she even hear it right?

She flopped on her bed and chucked any lying junk nearby out of her sight. Heaving an exaggerated sigh, she leaned on her white laced pillow with her back to the wall and window. Now, all comfortable and relaxed, she replayed the breakfast scene over in her mind. A big brown table and five wooden chairs drifted into her imagination...

A sound rustled.

_Leave it Kimiko. Chase will do it_. Stupid guy! She puffed. As if he is better than him or something...and he is not. She picked up her PDA and keyed in a few unrelated data. While so, her thoughts were driven to wondering if that would do anything to her and him. Her forehead creased thinly as she looked to the ceiling.

A sound rustled.

She propped up on her elbows and turned to the window. A half-bare figure strode across her view, his back on her. Smiling to herself she wondered if she should give him a pop visit...

The sun rays burned him and the daylight was too bright for his eyes. He had to squint painfully to get a look at his surroundings. But no amount of torture could stop his supernatural strength – in other words, filling the mole holes. He had removed his shirt and unbuckled his overalls thus dangling them from his waist. Chase Young faced the blaze barebacked. Hundreds of dirt shovels and rivers of sweat later it was finished and he stood upright, no slouching for him, before striding into the relief shade of a tree.

Light darkness soothed his scorched skin like water on a fire. He sat with his legs outstretched and leaned against the bark, letting the tree's shadow do its cooling work. A faint breeze whispered in his pointed-ears to go to sleep. Slowly but surely, tiredness crept into him and his head began to droop.

Suppose he needs a brief rest, he thought before closing his eyes. Without intending to, he fell asleep.

The first thing Kimiko saw was the glistening body of a full grown man. She giggled. His chest and arms were uncovered. His eyelids were peacefully shut. That lean face was so relaxed. But most of all, the long black hair was flopped all over the side of his face.

He looks so cute. She sighed and squeezed her hands together in pure bliss. Cautiously glancing at her surroundings, she tiptoed to his side and joined him.

But lying next to him was not enough; she could not resist hugging him around his waist. Instantly she was sent flying. Vicious hands clenched her wrist and pinned her face down on the ground. Her attacker snarled.

Kimiko was too shocked to defend herself. Pain exploded from her gut and she could not breathe.

A split moment later, Chase snapped into himself. With his Tiger Instincts back in control he released his unfortunate prisoner. She rolled over in a desperate attempt to inhale. Her breaths came in short, painful bursts. He quickly laid her against the tree and gently massaged her stomach.

The girl's eyes filled with tears of agony and moaned about broken bones.

"You will be alright." he assured her, "Don't say that."

As said, his comforting touch relived the pain and she sat up, her face twisted into a scowl. "What was that for?" she demanded, "You trying to kill me or what?"

"None of that, my dear." He offered an explanation, "Tiger Instincts have a habit of kicking in when a warrior has his eyes closed."

Her face darkened; she did not want an explanation. At her very thought, an apology followed, "I am sorry." He admitted.

Her face lifted. He smiled at her and touched her arm gently, gazing at her porcelain skin.

Then his gaze turned to her eyes, and leaned closer to her. She raised herself from the tree bark and came to an inch of his handsome face. They knew what was coming, locking themselves in each other's arms. A pair of black slash eyes met round light blues. In a moment their lips were locked together. He felt her feel behind his strong neck before fingering her way up through his dark hair. He allowed it, without interfering anything.

Soon her fingers were over his face, brushing his brow, cupping his cheek then flowing down his neck. He moaned in his throat and deepened the kiss. She smiled, continuing to flow her hands deeper down his body. With his chest bare she could do whatever she wanted with him. She moved slowly across his chest, making him grunt. Her fingertips circled around his hard abs and crawled up his back, seducing.

He had enough. Grabbing her tiny wrists he placed them around his neck. She followed it, without struggling. He flipped them over so she was on top of him. Now he was in control, without breaking the kiss. He pulled her lips closer to him and had his hand around her waist. His legs he brought together to let hers space out.

Straight from the nearby distance somebody screeched her name, heavily crashing the heated moment.

She sighed disappointedly. He had the same reaction, but nonetheless lifted his hand to stroke her saddened face. Kimiko smiled again and they shifted away from each other. Chase sauntered off the lawn to the kitchen. Kimiko sprinted to the temple, and not a moment too late.

Dojo was giving a Shen Gong Wu hunt de-briefs as the Wudai Fire Dragon jumped into the hall. All the other Wudai Dragons had gathered around Master Fung and Master Monk Guan and the green reptile.

"Sorry Master Fung, Master Monk Guan, guys and Dojo. I ... kinda got carried away with something." she panted, smiling sheepishly.

"With what?" snapped Dojo, "You missed a whole lot of important parts, and because of _what_?"

"Carry on with the Shen Gong Wu description Dojo." Master Fung consoled the small dragon, "The other monks will inform Kimiko of the rest."

The mystical talking creature grumbled under his nose before resuming his talk. "The Shapi Duster..." his voice echoing in the large hall, "...can also collect any other particles floating along with the air. Would really come in handy when somebody sneezes and the green goo goes flying." He chuckled at that part.

Chase did not eavesdrop on the de-briefs, although the Lao Meng Long soup ingredient was describing the Wu loud enough for the world to hear. The disturbance did not bother him though. There were better things to think about, like what was going on right where he was currently raking leaves. He enjoyed it, she enjoyed it, and it was perfect. He laughed. She had a feel of the _beginning_, and he knew it was the point of no return.

Nobody needs to hear from scientists, biologists, teachers, or even sex education lecturers to know about the touché of no return. It can be displayed in a simple ascending chart: from hand holding to hugs, from hugs to cheek kisses, then doorstep smooches, then extended timed kissing, to heavy lip contact, to necking, going on to heavy touching and finally ending up in bed.

Heavy touching, or he preferred to call touché, had been proven to be a no-go zone unless you're married, many times throughout the ages. He, himself, had experienced and knew all about it. But none of the past had a similar promise of true love like this. He breathed pleasurably and continued raking. He had chores to do.

The Shapi Duster was easy Pickens. The Wudai Dragons had no one to fight with to retrieve the Shen Gong Wu, for Jack had wet undines to deal with and neither Wuya nor Hannibal showed up. The day was not as easy though; the sky had chosen today to unleash themselves upon the unsuspecting Chosen Ones on their way home.

A major ice storm, one where rain falls as super-cooled water and becomes instant ice when hits contact with a surface, attacked them. Lightning of all sizes, along with thunder of ear-throbbing proportions attacked them mercilessly.. Poor Dojo glided on, trying his hardest to avoid a plunging fall. It wore him out to dodge every danger. In addition, gale winds at least 50km per hour, almost blew him off course. Omi and Raimondo tried controlling their elements with only the thought of survival in mind. Unfortunately their efforts were of little use – the rain froze Omi to the bone and Raimondo was nearly blown off the dragons back. The remaining passengers screamed and yelled in terror. But the weather was not done with them yet.

A massive lightning strike stabbed Dojo and went right through him. The green dragon roared in fright and pain. Moments later he blacked out. Everyone was thrown off, plummeting into an endless darkness. He then shrunk into a mere midget. Things were at the peak of bleak.

"WUDAI ORION FORMATION _NOW_!" The leader commanded above the bellowing thunder.

At the sound of his voice, new courage settled in the hearts of the warriors. "WUDAI ORION FORMATION!!!!" they declared together. Their strength built at speeds exceeding normality. Energy burst itself out from within them. A familiar glow shone from their frozen bodies as their elements formed within them. Soon an outstanding bright white light consumed the darkness for miles.

WIND WATER EARTH FIRE

Together they shielded themselves from the lightning and deathly cold rain – an impenetrable sphere of wind and water with a fiery layer underneath. By Clay's earth guidance they lowered themselves onto an unseen shelter. They landed on a wide precipice of some sort, where beyond there was a lighted cave. They made their way in hurriedly, with a limp Dojo in their arms. The cave was safe, protecting them from the crazed forces of Nature. But it was also vaguely recognizable. They saw images of uncomfortable recognition flash before their eyes. Fire torches lit the unnaturally smooth walls. There were grey-white rocks carved to be like teeth outside and on the opening of the cave. Yes, they did know this place. Nonetheless, Raimondo kept his team in it, despite the danger that could positively pounce on them any minute.

There, in a Heylin Dragon's home, they anxiously waited out the deadly storm.

The afternoon passed, extremely slowly for them in the cave. The Wudai Warriors watched the lightning and tried reviving Dojo. Their stomach rumbled hungrily, each rumble louder than the previous. Thankfully they succeeded, although they still had to return home by other means of transport. By the time the rain ceased to pour it was night but the dark did not stop them. They Silver Manta Ray-ed their way home as soon as they had the favor of the weather.

Chase sat on the steps of the temple gate with a bowl of Lao Meng Long soup. He sipped the warm soup slowly, observing the night sky. There had been no sign of them throughout the day and that made him rather concerned. He has had Showdown experiences with them, and none had taken this much of time. Nor has he seen them take a Shen Gong Wu then dilly-dally around. What is going on? He asked himself.

His question was answered, but in a way he never expected. Instead of a long reptile with four figures riding on its back gliding down, he received a fast incoming metal transport flying in his direction. CRASH! The Silver Manta Ray came to a halt in absolute ruins a yard away from where he sat. He stared at it for a few moments then sipped his soup, pretending to be without care.

The cockpit opened with a hiss and four people tumbled out of it. Chase let them sprawl out on the grass before getting on his feet and helping them away from the vehicle. Not long after, the exhausted and starving fighters were put to rest and had their lunch-dinner in bed. Chase did the serving, but they all were so tired even Raimondo did not protest. In fact, every one of the Wudai monks fell asleep while eating, with the exception of Clay.

Chase stood outside their rooms, figuring what delayed them. Their curtains were drawn so the explanations he received were zilch. The older monks and Master monks occupied themselves in the main hall, thus were of no relief to him either way. Why were they so late? He wondered. How did they end up in such a state? His eyebrows arched. Did they meet a Showdown opponent? Who might it have been? The smart did not win though; he knew that for certain because Raimondo had the Shapi duster in his hand upon return. But the loser was a sore one and had struck Dojo. His theories were not far fetched. Just simply unsettling unto his mind.

"Psst!" A quick sound caught his full attention. He headed into the room of the noise-maker. There he heard the whole tale of the storm and the Wu and his former house. It calmed him to know. However, that was all that happened. He had attempted slipping his arm around her but she would not let him night, much to his disliking.

"At least it was by the weather they were delayed." The Heylin acknowledged himself. "Not by _another_ force." Chase slipped beneath his sheets. He heard his conclusion spoken out loud, but could not get himself to sleep after that. For it had just made things worse.


	6. Day 5

Chase vs. Kimiko

Chapter 6: Day 5

The sky was a blood-red and the land was blanketed in ash. Trees, or what of it was left standing, were burnt black with their miserable branches straining to stay up. Pterodactyls swooped overhead and volcanoes spewed dense smoke and fire. Chase Young inhaled the toxic air deeply; it could have seized anyone and send them into a coughing fit, but he enjoyed it.

It was exactly like what the world looked like when he had conquered it. For those few days his greatest evil dreams had came true. He strolled under the scorched forest, admiring the catastrophic destruction that lay before him. He could think of nothing so horrible but it pleased him to know that he did not know it all, for he loved to learn new devastating scenes – they enlighten his dark and scheming mind. Half a mile of sightseeing later he noticed quite a number of unthinkable horrors that peered lifelessly at him.

The trees had bodies hanging out of them; all looked as though they had been killed by a slow painful death or suicide. Ropes, arrows, knives and sharp burnt-black rocks were sticking out from many. The others had maggoty open wounds, poison-caused colored skin, scars, burns, blood caked skin, and hairless heads. He spotted chunks of hair, a number with bloodied scalps still attached, lying under the victims of unnatural baldness. Despite the buffet of rotting flesh however, the Heylin wizard realized there was not a single fly.

"I guess I got rid of them." he muttered.

Just then a hand shot out from one of the bodies and grabbed at his shoulder. The body attached to it emerged its scarred and bruised head – a young man no more than nineteen years of age. Chase at first greatly wanted to just vaporize the dying wretch, but something about the teenager that triggered a familiarity. As he looked closer he noticed the boy was wearing a black robe with a red sash and yellow-cuff sleeves – it was the leader of the Wudai dragons, Raimondo!

The Heylin's eyes widened. He did not pull away, as much as his conscious was against it. Instead he asked, "Are you Xiaolin, monk?"

The young monk did not reply. But his eyes burned with pain and anxiety. Chase asked a different question, "Where are the other Xiaolins?"

Still no reply. Chase Young exhaled while thinking how he could get an answer. Then an idea got him – trigger the teenager's emotions. "Where is Kimiko?"

The result was instantaneous. The Dragon of Wind wailed in agony, as if he was being eaten alive from the inside. In a short matter of time he transformed into a lady. She was nearing complete womanhood and had a silky black hair. Her body was tiny but strong. When she looked up, her eyes were sky blue. As eyes are called the doorway to the soul, Chase could see hers was dying. Horrified he grasped her into his arms. She was either too weak to hug him back or too petrified to do anything because she shook violently in him. He pulled her closer so he could comfort her back into sanity but nothing he did helped. She stared blankly at him.

Suddenly a flash lighted the sky. An ear-piercing wail, not a roar, of thunder sounded around them. Chase turned his attention skywards only to see a bean-shape cloud hovering. A woman shaped one joined him, by means of shaking her hips to and fro before leaning against the bean cloud. It was obviously Hannibal Roy Bean and that flirty witch Wuya. The annoyances grinned evilly at him and frozen Kimiko with greedy eyes. Then they began cackling at him victoriously. Chase made a disgusted face before turning his attention at Kimiko. To his ultimate shock his beloved had disappeared, and in her place he hugged Jack Spicer. With a yell he let go. The wannabe Goth boy trembled in fear and shame, squeaking words, "… wasn't my fault, Chase … really sir … they barged in … demanded … it was so weird and I spilled … so sorry sir! … Don't let them … help me! … Help us!"

"Who is 'us'?" Chase growled hoarsely, a tone between disgust and confusion.

Another arm shot out to grab him. Chase was on the alert by then and leaped away. He landed closer to the trees. Again the arm flew in his direction. His experience taught him to dodge the grab then slice the attack from behind. To his surprise, he felt his hand cut through a rough and hard material when he expected human skin. A broken branch lay on the blackened earth. The rest of the tree slithered back into the darkness like a serpent. The forest was alive!

More trees attacked him as soon as his first attacker disappeared. They were very angry with the wizard for harming their kin and gave him no mercy. Chase was fast to understand their game. He leaped meters into the air, jumped from one attacking branch to another and slashed those branches that came too close. He did not stop for one moment. In his mind he pictured a way out of the moving maze of wood. At every gap he made all effort to squeeze through. Suddenly he grew tired.

The forest must have sensed his weariness for out of the blue, they fired thousands of minute thorns. Chase was preoccupied with a group of abnormally large branches. A tingle in his spine warned him something was coming close. But he decided to be rid of the branches first then bother with whatever that comes next. Bad choice.

The fat wood was a decoy. As soon as the thorns were inches from Young they retracted themselves. A yell of pain escaped his lips as the sharp points pierced his flesh. His armor was a gift – it protected the truly vulnerable parts of him. But the thorns were poisonous. Chase felt his limbs go numb. His neck began to fall loose and hung backwards. His vision was a blur. Knees bucked and breathing became difficult. Finally he dropped in the ashes. He could make out a decaying Kimiko next to him. A victorious, evil cackle was the last he knew before complete blackout.

Chase Young sprung from sleep panting. The mattress was soaked in sweat and his hair was plastered to his face. The blanket, more of a long rag, was twisted and wrapped around his body. It was only a nightmare. "Accursed magic!" he wheezed crossly at himself, "Sometimes being evil is plenty tormenting!"

The moon was still up. From his learning he could tell it was 2a.m., very early in the morning. Regardless he took his bathing needs and a set of clothes. A baggy pair of three-quarters and moth-eaten sleeveless shirt, both made of canvas. The temple marble floor was still cold from the cool night. Yet Chase took no notice of those differences.

In the shower the water was freezing. It flowed over his warm skin, refreshing the natural senses. As he did his thing, the nightmare he pictured again. This time he was looking for the meaning of the vision. He took things that trigger fear in him very seriously. In a flash he recalled the characters in it – Himself, Kimiko, Raimondo, Hannibal Bean, Jack Spicer, Wuya and dead people. Kimiko was dead and so was Raimondo. Raimondo had Kimiko in his inside; perhaps he had been trying to protect her?

Kimiko changed into Jack. It must mean Jack knows something about his relationship with the young lady. Together with Spicer's stammering of forgiveness, it must be real. But the boy also mentioned "Help me! Help us!". Hannibal and Wuya were up in the clouds victoriously laughing; they must be up to something, and it must be about what Jack could have told them. But what DID Jack tell them? What does he know…?

Then a more pressing question came to his lips, "What are Hannibal and Wuya planning? And when will the master plan take place?" The two were up in the sky, overlooking everything that happens in the world. With an unnatural sky, so many deaths and mutilated trees they must have taken over the world! Chase gritted his teeth. In his dream he was obviously nowhere near people for he seemed the only one who could walk without dying halfway.

Or was he already dead?

Shaking the rash theory from his head he slipped on his clothes. The moon was still out as were the stars. They glittered and danced with the black velvet sky. He walked about the ground for a while to piece the story together. He paused, glanced at the sky. A sound had caught his ears. It whirred and buzzed like a helicopter. Must be the insect, Chase thought. For once he's in the right place at the right time. Chase nodded in appreciation. Sure enough Jack Spicer flew into view. The boy was wearing pyjammies (not pajamas) with his idol's picture patterned all over it.

Chase spared no glance at the bed clothes. Instead he listened to Jack explain himself. Hannibal and Wuya were told, by Jack, all that Jack saw when he had invaded the temple. When Chase asked what he saw, Jack immediately shuffled his feet nervously. "Well, Chase. I, err, saw you and Kimiko being kinda familiar with each other after my Jack-bots were smashed. And, heh heh, I assumed… You know?" he grinned weakly.

"Out with it, Spicer." Chase hissed back, "I don't have all night."

"I told Hannibal what I assumed!" he blurted out a little too loudly. "I told him about you and Kimiko being together or something like that. He looked kind of pleased."

"Elaborate on the last one. And soften your volume."

"He laughed evilly. Quite a good one." Chase glared. "For a bean I mean!" excused Jack, "And then he thanked me and went off with Wuya. I couldn't hear everything they said but I did hear them say your name. So I wanted to tell you just in case."

"I see." Chase replied. "I would thank you but being evil I must ask, what are you wanting in return?"

"Nothing much." Suddenly Jack sounded bolder, "Maybe just some of the scoop?"

Chase did not even take a second to ponder the request. He made an instant uppercut strike to the teen's chin. The boy did not stumble backwards. He dodged the blow and met Chase's face with a kick. Chase was better than that. He grabbed the bunny-slipper foot before flinging him to the temple wall. 'Jack' crashed on a nearby plant pot. But the artefact was far from the part of the wall Chase intended for him to hit. An evil smile greeted the shocked warrior when 'Jack' rose his head.

"You've always been a quick one Chase." The grey skin turned into a rough-looking maroon surface. The arms and legs disappeared and 'Jack' shrunk into a midget with two roots at its sides.

"Hannibal Roy Bean." grunted Chase. "I thought as much."

"Of course you did." The bean mocked back, "Tell me, what gave me away?"

"You're horrible acting."

"Well then." The intruder smirked, "Thank you for telling me so. I shall work on it next time but for now, I think you'll be needing some time to cover my tracks!" With a resounding cackling he jumped up to a bird hovering over the temple roofs. Chase jumped as well, but missed catching the bean for the bird had swooped down and picked up its master before he could do so. He had a notion to fly after him but remembered his vow to stay on the temple grounds. Giving one last angry glace at the sky, Chase turned his heel.

Kimiko was woken up by multiple kisses on her cheek and neck. The sun had barely risen. Her curtains were not drawn and her room was quite dark. Still she could make out a shape of a handsome man kneeling on one by her mattress-side. She could also see that he was in an urgent mood.

"I'm glad you're awake Kimiko." He said stroking her arm. "There is something I need to talk to you about."

"What is it Chase?" Kimiko said between yawns.

The reply was both unexpected and expected. He locked his lips with hers. She opened her mouth, giving him easy access. They wrapped each other in their arms. She felt his hair and massaged his head, breathing his fresh morning scent. He pulled her closer with his hands around her back and waist. He crawled his fingers over her spine, to under her neck. His tongue had entered her daringly. He stroked her tongue. She stroked his back passionately. They intertwined neatly, lapping endlessly and moaning faithfully. The urge she felt towards him now was strong and she curled her legs around his waist. He let himself be pulled down on top of her. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves while groaning against each other.

When at last they broke apart, Chase continued his saying.

"It concerns us." He stated it flatly, but her heart beat ferociously hard at the statement.

He remained lying over her and could sense her uneasiness. He moved his lips right by her ear and whispered in hot breaths, "I had a nightmare last night, and it was not ordinary. It has been very long and I have almost forgotten that I had this power of visions."

"What did you see, Chase?" she whispered back, "What's gonna happen?"

"To describe it would frighten you. But I will tell you the meaning, and what happened when I arose from sleep." He licked her earlobe, sending a surging warmth through her body. "Hannibal and Wuya are up to something very large in result. Possibly the end of the world and it would be done through us. They would somehow use our little romance to trigger a heavy assault on anything that poses a threat to them. Later when I awoke, Hannibal had disguised himself as Spicer and came to me. He shared what that fool was naïve enough to tell him, as well as acting as though he was really Spicer." Kimiko's eyes widened. " The information he gave is as expected – they know, or at least depending on Spicer's theory, that we are in love and are together planning. I am not sure when, but it would be soon."

He waited for her to digest this information then gave a warning. "Be on the lookout, my dear." He looked into her eyes, "Especially for anything wondering about the grounds." He rolled beside her.

"We should tell Master Fung and Master Monk Guan!" she suggested.

"They will then ask how I came about this information." he shook his head, "The evidence is too solid and it all points to me. How can we possibly receive help if our story is told?"

"I don't know." Her eyes travelled past his head. Suddenly she said, "But, how does this even happen?"

"What?" Chase thought he heard doubt in her voice.

"How can Spicer," she replied looking at him, "the wannabe who never figures anything out unless it's useless, actually figure THIS out?"

Chase arched his eyebrow. He took a moment to form his message. "You don't believe me, do you Kimiko?" he finally stated quietly.

"It's really weird." She confessed, "And like, almost unreal." She saw his eyes look elsewhere, way past her. "That's what I think." She quickly added.

His heart sank. The one person he thought he could get cooperation from did not even believe his testimony. How could she…?

"I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." He ended their time together. Just as he got up, however, he turned to her again, "But even if you think it's unbelievable, would you still be by my side?" he asked smoothly.

"Of course I would!" she said comfortingly, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"At least that's covered. Good morning Kimiko." He nodded and walked out of her room.

Everyone woke up to a breakfast of pure-brewed Chinese tea and porridge. Along with the soft rice were some vegetables and meat. Nobody knew about the episode earlier that night or of Chase's heavily concerned mood. But the Masters were very inquisitive about the missing pot and its plant rooted in just soil, otherwise the morning went uneventful – much to Chase's mental discomfort.

The afternoon sun was as bad as every other afternoon that passed. The four young monks were lolling around and enjoying the breeze Raimondo was thoughtful enough to conjure up. Master Fung was reading up some scrolls with gibbering Dojo on his shoulder. On the other hand, Master Monk Guan was keeping an eye for his long-lost friend. There was nothing to fear from him because of the oath he had taken during the Xiaolin Showdown that so fatefully brought him back here. Nonetheless, the naturally immortal Master was suspicious of Chase Young. So far nothing in Kimiko has shown that she could defeat this ex-invincible warrior. Once again, he was on the lookout for anything.

Chase was behind the temple wall with the laundry and was noticeably weary. He could hold Raimondo's dirtiest underwear without twitching his nose. Every piece of fabric he scrubbed unaware of what piece they were. His eyes were directed at them, but his mind was on last night and that morning. His powers and Hannibal was the hardest proof that something big and bad was coming, BUT she won't believe him?

"How might I convince her…" he muttered to himself. Guan strained to hear the next sentence, and that one move gave him away.

Chase did not fly at him, but he did suddenly drift into acting normal – unconcerned. The Master frowned and left. It was not just the unsuccessful spying that drove him off, the heat was becoming unbearable. Sure enough even Chase could not stand it. After everything was washed he walked a few meters upstream and dived straight in. He figured he could spare a few minutes cooling down since nobody was going to lecture him in this weather. Fortunately he was wrong.

Kimiko was getting bored with the boys as all they did was slacking their heads off – literally! They had dozed off and drool was dripping on the shiny tiles. She had tried snoozing off herself but their constant snores buzzed in her ears. In the end she decided to find Chase at the river. As she neared the water she saw wet clothes laid out to dry, a bottle of detergent and a scrub. No lover here.

Not wanting to attract attention she did not call for him. But the sparkling water was too tempting to resist. Stripped of cover except for her underclothes, she waddled upstream to find him.

Chase submerged his whole body into the refreshing water. He had learned over time to swim open eyed but he wasn't intending to see underwater, he wanted to meditate instead. He shifted his legs cross-legged on the soft sand below and faded from the silent underwater world to an even more silenced dimension of his mind.

Kimiko carried her Xiaolin clothes in one hand and waved away at the water with the other. She had struggled for fifteen minutes but has not seen anything but water, sand, a few big rocks and some flowing black water plant. "Wait, since when are plants black?!" she smacked herself in realization, "Damn!" She paddled her way back downstream to the spot where the 'black plant' was 'planted'.

Chase sensed unnatural water movements as he sat without breathing. Here she comes again, he thought with a smirk tugging at his sealed lips. More vibrations had stirred, and they were more vigorous than the last ones. How might I surprise her? He suddenly felt like scheming. Ah…I know. He exhaled, sending bubbles to the water surface. He stood up and stretched.

She had no idea what to expect when she sees him. His shirt would be off, plus more than that. Would be an interesting sight though, she giggled. Then she saw him. Her lips separated in disbelief at the sight. She had seen him soaked and bare-chested before but nothing compared to this – he wore nothing except white underwear. Her eyes trailed down his glistening body. His neck, chest, arms, and six-pacts were totally eye-catching. He must have known she was coming because he right there he teased her. Stretching about he was flexing all he's got, the only thing he didn't show off was what lay beneath the only clothing he wore." Why doesn't he just show _that_?" She murmured.

As if he read her thoughts, he leaned back to crack his spine. He went all the way down backwards nice and slow. He balanced his upper body underwater, giving center stage to his underwear. Then flipped his legs onto the riverbank and stood up straight with his hands propped on his waist, showing off his pride. He dramatically stayed in that position and dived in without a splash. She watched the ripples of the water roll towards her, a dark shape following closely behind. Out of intuitiveness she tried jumping out of the water. Firm hands clutched at her ankles and a head appeared just inches before her front ass.

"Why hello there, my dear." His words sent warm air over her belows, "What might have brought you here? "

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I – I was doing nothing an – and nobody was watching so I thought…"

"Do tell me what you think, especially right now." He neared her thighs, lips carved smugly.

"I wanted to see what you're doin'" she explained herself, blushing. "I - What I think?"

He didn't bother to answer. He opened his mouth and inhaled her precious little's scent. Trailing his lips over the clothing he caressed his hands up her smooth legs. She trembled at his teasing. As soon as his hands felt the edges of her ass, she crumbled in weakness into his muscular arms. He laughed at her innocent eyes as they searched his. Her eyes moved elsewhere, onto his chest. Although water was up to their necks, the ripples could not block the sexy sight from her eyes.

She put one hand on each side of his chest. Without his permission she travelled over it in mischievous circles. He hissed at her hot touch, urging her on. She moved her nails against his nipples then stroked them with tips of her fingers. His hisses launched into a deep groan and he pried her legs open.

She played his game. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she could feel his bump pressing hard against her. She arched her back and her chest was propped right by his face. He smiled at the roundness then sneaked to kiss her neck. He nipped the skin gently. She moaned with a smile. He slowly made moves down to her shoulders and above her chest. Her moans grew louder and she pulled him closer to her. When she felt she could spill out, he stopped.

Her eyelids flipped open and stared at him disappointed. He smiled back at her, his dark eyes searching something in her soul. She wanted him to nurse her back into that high pleasure, he could see, but was she willing to give _it_ all up?

We'll see after this. With that he dived back into pleasing her, starting with her protruding chest. He trailed any skin available with kisses while satisfying his roaming hands over her ass. She gasped at the sudden pleasure surge charging in her being. He felt her tighten her grip around him and grinned between kisses.

When her grip was so tight that he could only breathe her in, he slipped a hand into her panties. He let his hand feel the softness. She screamed and gasped at the same time making a rather seductive combination. Seizing his high cheekbones in her desperate hands, she pulled him in with an aggressive kiss. He closed his eyes and let himself be reeled in. He never stopped touching her.

Finally he pulled her clothing down. Her kisses halted to a mere attachment between them and her eyes opened to his closed ones. He parted his lips from hers, savoring whatever he had left. they looked into each other for awkward moments in end, different perspectives running through their heads.

Kimiko was stunned by how far Chase could go in minutes. He – He just pulled it off, she breathed heavily. Should I – Should I let him have me that way? So soon? It's only been five days…

Chase closed his mouth and searched her eyes questioningly. She isn't ready, he sighed. Alright then – another time, we'll try this again. He smiled at her and stroked her cheek with his finger.

Kimiko closed her eyes and leaned on his touch. He understands that I am not ready, she smiled. That is so sweet! "Thanks Chase." She mumbled.

"Not a problem." He stroked down her forearm, "All the same, you still don't believe that Hannibal and Wuya are up to something nastily big?"

Kimiko whined, "You're still thinking about that? C'mon Chase, relax! What could happen?"

"That was exactly what you said last night!" Chase snapped his fingers, "Do you not see the obvious? Have you not known the Heylin side long enough to know that we do the last thing you Xiaolin would expect?"

"What are you trying to say Chase?" Kimiko felt defensive.

"I am simply saying you should believe my words," he answered, "and prepare for the worst. At least you could live past this."

"What?!" she jumped in shock, "You mean that everyone else is gonna go? Like go bad?" She animated her statement with a head-slice action.

"That is what my vision says." He replied ruefully, "Then again, isn't that what happens when the world is taken over by evil?"

The young Xiaolin sat on her lover's lap in thought. Her heart was split between two opinions; Xiaolin were trained to frown on any 'ideas' from Heylin, but at the same time she wanted to believe the man who loves her. Moments of thought later, her reply was still a disappointment to him "I'm sorry Chase, but I just can't get what you're sayin'!"

He looked down. For a while the two remained in the water without speaking.

When at last the silence broke, it was by a yell of hunger.

"WHERE'S THAT EX-HEYLIN SLACK?!" Raimondo's voice could be heard for a half-kilometer radius, "I'M TOTALLY STARVIN'! AND ANYBODY SEEN Kimiko?"

"Uh oh." Kimiko climbed off his legs, "I gotta go Chase! But I'll be around." She picked up her clothes, gave him a peck on the cheek and jogged to the temple gate. He watched her leave a trail of water on the dry grass. As soon as she was out of sight, he directed his telekinesis to the water. Transparent blobs floated and dropped into the river, as he flew out. He focused on the water on his body and sent them to the river as well. Wearing his clothes, he sped towards the temple gates to prepare lunch.

Raimondo called out to Kimiko as she jogged past him, by then she had slipped on her clothes. "Hey Kim! Where've you been? You disappeared when we were sleeping, girl!"

"Yeah!" she called back, "I was just chillin' out in the river!"

Raimondo acknowledged her with a whistle. Kimiko ignored the boy and headed for her room. Again she found herself in a state of daydream as she flopped on her bed. She remained still in her fantasy and reality recollections, until she heard a hollering from Clay. "Hey there Kimiko! Lunch is up for pickings!"

She replied with a yell of "OK!" and strolled to the dining room. Bowls of steaming rice were lay out neatly upon the table. Vegetables stir-fried in thin Chinese gravy, simple fried chicken cutlets in sauce and pao for extras. Pao is a favourite Chinese snack that has been around ever since Chinese have been around. It is a steamed white bun with a filling and shaped into either a round bun or a bun with protruding lines at the top. In this case, the fillings Chase made were char siew (a pork and sauce mixture), chicken, red bean and lotus paste. Kimiko quickly stole a seat, a bowl of rice and every ounce of side dish she could. The pao was delicious, but Raimondo grumbled that it was too warm, and on a hot day like this it sucked.

Chase Young was scrubbing toilets, again, with his mind elsewhere, again. Worry, concern, evil, love, and fate were stuck in his mind like the grime between the bathroom tiles. He could not stop thinking of the bad things about to happen any moment. That was how he spent the rest of the day and evening, until Kimiko walked into his room and tried talking him to sleep. He was flustered and paranoid by then, and looked pale.

"Chase!" Kimiko gasped and cupped his face, "How did you end up so white?"

"Hannibal can appear any moment Kimiko." He whispered stressed, "Yet I'm stuck here like a sitting duck!" He clenched his fist to his head.

Right then, the girl just wanted to slap some sense into her stubborn man! But she had learned patience and took a deep breath. Then she crawled behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Relax Chase." She said softly while caressing his tensed shoulders.

"Absolutely not. _Zhen Jìng Bìng_!" He motioned to get up, instantly to be pulled back by Kimiko's small but firm grip. He gave an unappreciative grunt.

(_That's insane!_)

"Relax." She said firmly. She hugged him around his chest, feeling his quick, impatient breathing. Stroking her hands across him and around his forehead, she murmured into his ear, "Take a deep breath Chase, that always helps me." Chase protested a bit, but her coaxing voice made his heart laugh, and he submitted to her. He inhaled deeply. He exhaled slowly. True enough, despite that he knew it for centuries, his frustration lessened. "There you go. Come on, again."

He repeated the controlled breathing. With his good mood back, he leaned against her. She chuckled and massaged him; head, temples and shoulders.

The moon was full and shone brightly. Even so, the little stars could still give a display of shiny dots against the black emptiness of space. The scene changes – a big-haired lady in a black, outlined dark purple, stood over a table with the world map spread out on it. Beside her was a boy in black and boots. But they weren't the schemers over the world, but a dark red bean was motioning to different areas all over the globe. He marked six blood-red crosses on some specific parts; Brazil, Texas, Japan, China and New York. Then, with an evil hoot, he made a bold circle on an empty spot and labeled it the Land of Nowhere.

"The poor Heylin forced-Xiaolin's only place of hope!" Spine-tingling laughter roared out from the mouths of the three.


	7. Day 6

The night was still young.

A thumb-sized red bean had his stringy arms on his hips (if beans have any hips) as he briefed Panda Bubba and his squadron. "This attack has to come as sudden as possible." He rubbed his roots together evilly, "You get yourselves around the outskirts of those mountains," He positioned black models of **H** around an illustration on the map, "and come in from all angles. Approach it carefully and lookout for watching monks, they didn't like my last sneak-in performance and have thickened their defense. Do not crush their walls! Remember that we want to eliminate them _all_, something my ex-comrade-in-evil ignored and look at him now! He's on their side and vulnerable like them. We want none escaping with their lives, except the Head of this temple which I'll keep as a memoir."

"Wouldn't he be a threat to us then, Hannibal?" Panda Bubba spoke up. "Won't he get in our way?"

"Only if his masters allow him, Bubba." Hannibal Bean chuckled at the thought, "Otherwise he's slightly more than nothing. Leave now and you will get there by mid morning."

* * *

He blinked sleep out from his eyes and turned them towards the open window. The black night was dissolving into blue – it was quite a late awakening for Chase Young. He gazed upon the sleeping body pressing against his bodyline. She had wooed him into relaxing after the stressful day before and allowed him to spend the night with her. Not like I never hoped for it, he thought as his finger trailed along her face. His lips curled at the corners in remembering how she asked him to stay with her.

She was massaging his forehead gently as she whispered into his ear. "Hey Chase."

He murmured in a tone of slow enjoyment, "Mmm…Yes Kimiko?"

"Can you do me a little favour?"

"Anything."

She paused. "You wouldn't mind just lying with me tonight, would you?"

"Of course not, my dear." Then he could not help asking why.

Her answer was to his delight. "I wanna just spend all my time with you. As much as possible anyway."

He took her tiny delicate hands to rest on his chest and looked into her, "Like I had said, anything you wish my sweet Kimiko."

They kissed, lips meeting at a pleasurably designated meet. Her softness was easy to penetrate her delicious mouth and explore. He lapped in every notch of her, drawing moans and groans. She pushed her tongue into him as a fight but failed when he tenderly licked the bottom of it. He released her hands and felt them wander along his collarbone. She moved her hands onto his face…

Chase hated to pull out from his remembrance of the night, but he did. He kissed her cheek, although longing for more – now that she slept so peacefully alongside him, his thoughts drifted into another thing she said, strictly and expectedly from this steady young virgin. "I'm just asking you to lie with me and, if you want, we can sleep together, but don't you _sleep_ _with_ me. Get it Chase?" He laughed at her then, but at this point he was tempted to sneak a peek. Especially when her breathing made her bosom raise and sink so seductively. A look at her vulnerable face simply drew a heavy breath from his insides. Just then she moved her legs. They stretched, kicking the blanket off her lower body and slowly rubbing against each other. Her porcelain skin was merely covered by a pair of ladies' boxers, exposing more than he should see. One slim leg bent up and the other curled around it.

His breathing began to heave with a heavy passion. He watched her turn towards him and, with her legs lying apart, pressed even closer on him. His eyes widened, biting his lip, trying to resist the urge to pull closer as well. His heart raced, hot blood pumping through his veins. The surprise sensation of that first day seized him once again, only this time there is no opportunity for distraction. His face neared hers as hard steel drawn to her virgin magnet of seduction. In past times, he could engage in other situations and mentally step outside to observe himself. This time was the big difference – she was affecting him bodily, and an imaginational nude image was forming in his head. He knew he was on his own; his body screamed for her, but his heart had promised otherwise. He recoiled his face from hers. Hands clenched, Chase slithered backwards. He ended up kneeling on her bedside floor and muttering Chinese curses.

He slowly cooled down. His breathing flowed in control again. As soon as that, her eyelids flapped open with a smile spreading across her blushing cheeks. "Good morning Chase." Kimiko giggled, "Had fun? I did!"

Realization flashed upon his surprised expression. "Oh." He found his voice and faked a frown, "Ni yàu wan zhè yàng máh¹?"

"Huh?" She had no idea what he meant.

He clicked his tongue, "Tsk tsk tsk! You need to learn some Chinese, my dear Kimiko." Chase leaped roughly on her small, long awakened body drawing a squeal from her shocked face. "And what can teach better than first-hand experience?" Proving his point, he let a hand crawl tenderly up her leg. She meant to stop him, but his lips were reacted fast, catching her without hesitation. His fingers stroked her inner thighs deliciously, causing her to sweetly moan into his mouth. He grinned and made his way along her panty line, drawing along the lacing. She felt her need for his hand to touch her suddenly growing. Curves and tapping on her privacy was no longer appealing. She knew he has more, and she wanted more. Still lip-locked, she moved towards his hand, directing him to that aching spot. He felt a smile tug on his lips and let go the resistance. His fingers pressed against her valley, searching for that sensitive place.

It felt more like a tease to her. In her anger she pulled his head closer. He moved ever closer to her needy area, and he did. She broke the kiss with an excited gasp. Taking the cue, he slowly rubbed his hand against her. Her gasps became resounding groans of pleasure. She rotated her hips, driven by her dire desire stolen in the river incident. He felt her pushing harder and harder, a tad too hard for his hand finally. The flesh between his legs was stiffened enough. He removed his hand, making her growl in disappointment but she squealed again when he threw his waist between hers. She could feel him press hard and strongly against her. Then he motioned his waist in sexy circles. Pleasure surged through them both, bringing out hot, wild sounds. She gripped his back and wrapped her legs around him, vibrating fast against his hardened flesh. He pushed towards her, rubbing and circling her valley.

Suddenly he dipped his head into her pillow, next to her head. He was coming. She felt the same, burying her face in his shoulder. They could feel something boiling in their insides beginning to flood out. In a gush, they both groaned their loudest, and fell.

He raised his head to gaze at her. She slid her legs off him, remaining stunned, and beads of perspiration appeared on her forehead. She hugged his neck close as he wrapped his arms around her small waist. Silence sung words of sweet love, harmonious with their warm panting. A rooster crowed in the distance.

She turned her eyes to him, telling him not to leave her.

His black slit of a pupil seemed to convey kindness back to her. He whispered, "I would, if my intention was to keep our secrecy." He ran his fingers through her hair. "But I will never leave you, or love anyone else. Remember that, my dear Kimiko."

He held her hand. Raising himself up, she was lifted a measure off her pillow. He stood up; his bare chest radiated by the brightening morning light, and left her presence.

She laid her head back on her pillow, reliving the beautiful time they had just spent.

He walked along the walls of the building. Soon every monk will awaken and if any are up-and-about now, he is in serious trouble. He managed to enter his room unseen, a pair of white pants and grey sleeved shirt in hand. Unfortunately, fate let his former friend catch him speeding for the bathrooms. There was a memento glare fight; otherwise he beat the rap very well.

He got to work faster than usual. He was quick in his movements to prepare breakfast and wipe the dining table dirt-free. Carrots, Chinese noodles, cabbage, fish, Mandarin oranges and other ingredients were taken out. Pots and pans took their turns on the stove, each cooking a different food. By the time any monk showed up for eating, the table was laid with stir-fried _bee hoon__ (a thin type of noodle)_ with vegetables, leftover pao that looked fresh, fried egg, bread and a jug of cooled water.

Chase walked back into his room to fetch that list he received on that first day, and to check on her.

A smile later, he held a broom and duster, sending crazy amounts of filth flying into the warm air. He started with the farthest corner of the temple building, where it was extremely stuffy. He swept the old tiles with little effort, gently moving the dust to the awaiting duster. But like every warm day the circumstances will not allow plans to proceed in comfort – with each sweep, dust will soar off the floor and charge up his face. He blew it away, and then left his chore for a moment to grab a loose piece of cloth lying all the way in his room. As he securely tied a knot to cover his face from his nose downwards, a familiar giggle reached his ears.

He turned just to see her sweetly smile and stroll past, leaving behind a trail of water droplets. Interesting how many times she could take him by surprise, he thought as he watched her. Chase went back to work; after sweeping he had to hand mop the floor, wash the breakfast dishes, clean out and refill the coal cauldron in the meeting hall, and _whitewash the temple walls?!_ All this in one morning, he sighed.

Kimiko had just done bathing, her wet hair left dripping, and walked out with a towel around her neck. Just as she turned a corner to her room, Chase was walking while tying a rag around his face. The sight was sheer humor; regal Chase Young wearing white pants, grey sleeves and a torn piece of cloth for facial cover gave him a poverty-stricken ninja look. She giggled, and he turned. She spared him a smile and walked slowly past, liking him watching her. She wore her Xiaolin robe after Master Monk Guan briefed the team on training today; at least he told her so.

Breakfast was swiped off the plates fast and the youngsters were standing to attention by the time the sun just rose above the hill. In single file formation with Raimondo, then Omi, Clay and last Kimiko. They faced east, staring into the eye of the light. Strangely, the Master never showed up.

Raimondo was the first to open his mouth after around ten minutes of standing still in the blaze. "Where is Master Monk Guan?" He grumbled, loud enough for his friend's to hear, "I'm getting fried in this heat!"

"You're telling me, partner." Clay agreed, wiping away the stream of sweat from under his hat. "Always thought Master Monk Guan would be here before we did. Where in tar nation could he be?"

"My friends," Omi whispered as comfortingly as he could, despite his own growing discomfort, "The Greatest Xiaolin Master cannot lie. Master Monk Guan will be here in Nick's time!"

"It's 'in the nick of time' Omi." Kimiko corrected, beginning to get impatient, "Maybe we should just lie back for awhile and stay in the shade? When we see Master Monk Guan we'll run back out here!"

"Nice plan Kimiko." Raimondo scorned, "And when we come out nice and comfy he'll yell at us – no at me! – for slacking out."

Kimiko took it, her impatience fueling up. "Then just tell him it was my idea, Rai!" she retorted at her leader.

"Then he'll make me do extra push-ups!" he reasoned crossly, "I'm leader, you know! He'll say it's my idea too because I agreed with you!"

"Then I'll just – " Kimiko started.

"Just shut it Kimiko!" He yelled angrily, "We're gonna stand right where we are!"

"What the –" She screeched in absolute impatience, "Why must we? That's just stupid!"

"BECAUSE I'M THE LEADER! I make the decisions here!" he exploded, dashing his glare at her, "NOT YOU!"

"Whatever." She sneered, glaring back at his eyes.

The scene was burning hot, with Omi and Clay feeling the discomfort of the sun and the heat of the argument. They stood awkwardly between their flared up leader and impatient female teammate. They looked at each other then looked at the arguers nearest to them. They were at blank as what to do next.

A slithering came up behind them, and a perky voice broke the heated silence. "Hello kids." Announced the small, green and feetless Xiaolin dragon, "Sorry you had to toast out here for twenty minutes!" He put the Wu scroll behind his back and coiled his tail, speaking embarrassedly, "Master Monk Guan had just got word from my cousin Chucky Choo that his temple is under attack. He told me to tell you because he was in a hurry and I'm the only one he ran into."

"And you didn't tell us as soon as he told you because…?" growled Kimiko.

"I was feasting!" Dojo replied fearfully, "That Chase Young left the larder unlocked so I helped myself. I ate so much I fell asleep, then Master Monk Guan shook me half-out of sleep and told me. Then I went back to sleep. I just woke up." With his explanation done, he wanted let go one lazy yawn. But the green half snake-like reptile noticed everyone glaring daggers and stopped midway.

The Wudai warriors were blew out all at once, "Why you – !"

"We'll get Chase to soup you up the next time you do that!" threatened Kimiko as she zoomed into the shade of the temple building.

"What did Ms. Kimiko just say?" a mouth-gaping cowboy noted in shock. The rest agreed.

"She just brought that villain's name into our … usual talking." Raimondo replied slowly, frowning and rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Daiben²! Kimiko scolded herself. She had just let _him_ slip into her threat talk, she realized. She never included anyone into her threats because she liked the thought of to hammering people by herself. Including him was such a dumb move! The teenage girl slapped herself. She was about to make her way to her room to scream herself out when a firm hand held her shoulder. She let a smile show, thinking _he_ is supporting her. She twirled around expecting to see Chase's angular face, but she let a shocked squeal at the image she saw instead. That leader of hers, Mr. Brazilian Teen-in-charge, also had a shocked look plastered on his face. Having her smile at him that way was…interesting – did she really mean it towards him? he wondered.

"Dojo wasn't done, Kim." He said softly, "He actually came to tell us of a new activated Sheng Gong Wu."

"Again so soon?" Kimiko inquired as she raised an eyebrow, more curious about the change of tone in his voice than the weird timing of that Wu's activation.

"Yeah…" he answered her, still wondering about her smile. A rather goofy look faded into his eyes.

Kimiko noticed that, and lowered her eyebrow to give a look of annoyance. "Knock knock! Anyone home Rai?"

He snapped out of it, but the thought lingered as the team gathered for some Wu briefing. It was the Hai Ri Bull. This Sheng Gong Wu can run down any obstacle in its path – a major advantage and disadvantage. "The good news is it can destroy anything it charges at." Dojo explained as he opened the magical scroll, "The bad news is, it charges at everything." The magic-driven display showed a man clad in a Kung Fu robe and a matador bull ten times his size. The bull charged after the man and knocked him down, then headed off. A number of buildings came in sight and the Wu also knocked them down.

"So the Hai Ri Bull is neither good nor evil! Like the Sapphire Dragon?" Omi quipped after the demonstration.

"Not really." The dragon corrected, "It can destroy everything, sure! But unlike the Sapphire Dragon, the Hai Ri Bull can be controlled."

"Leave that to me!" Clay puffed out his chest and thumped it with his fist. "I've rustled up more cattle than I've had dinners!"

"That's gotta be alot of cows then." teased Raimondo.

"Well you're gonna have your last dinner if you're wanna rustle up this bull, cowboy." warned Dojo. "This Wu can only be controlled by one thing – Heylins."

"HEYLINS?!" the Wudai Warriors echoed together.

"But why can _only_ Heylins control this Wu, Dojo?!" Omi demanded an answer.

Dojo scratched his scaly head for memories, "Erm… let's see. Er… ah! Long before Wuya tried to attack the Xiaolin Temple, she had stolen the Hai Ri Bull and some other Wu for fun. Or that's what Grand Master Dashi told the other monks when they found the vault open…" he paused, "Anyway, when Dashi teamed up with Master Monk Guan and Chase Young to get the Wu back, Wuya knew it. She wanted to keep the Wu but was sure she couldn't. So she decided to reserve one Wu for herself, the Hai Ri Bull. She casted a powerful spell on the Hai Ri Bull that only true Heylins can command it. No Xiaolin knew a counter spell for this reservation so Dashi hid this Wu in the _deepest part _of the deepest part of the world" The warriors gave him confused looks. "It's at the bottom of the Mariana Trench." He finished.

"Why the Hai Ri Bull?" Raimondo was intrigued.

"Er, maybe because it can crush anything? Duh!" Kimiko answered his question before Dojo can open his mouth. "Since all Heylins are about taking over the world, this Wu is a great answer for defeating _every_ enemy. Right Dojo?"

"Eh…" Dojo was taken aback by her replies, "Yeah."

"How do you know so much?" Omi questioned curiously

"It's common sense!" she answered before quickly adding, "When you see from a Heylin's point of view, that is." Then she turned her attention back to Dojo, "So how are we gonna get it?"

"Well," Dojo said, thoughtfully pulling his dragon goatee, "You guys could always swim into the Mariana Trench. Or take the easy way by taking that Wu with the Golden Tiger Claws."

"I vote for the Tiger Claws plan." Kimiko announced as she raised her hand.

"Me too." Raimondo joined, "And I think we all should. Alright guys, this is what we'll do." The leader signaled them to gather closer, "I'll do the Golden Tiger Claws thing. Omi, you'll control the water so none of it flows out and Kimiko, grab the Wu before the portal closes."

"What about Clay?" Kimiko asked, "And why do I just 'grab the Wu'?" Her fingers did an air quote in annoyance.

"Clay and I are gonna be diving in if there's any trouble." He replied, "Omi can join in, but you can't cause your element's fire."

Kimiko frowned but had to agree she'll be soaked and useless if she fought with her element. At Raimondo's command, the group split and went for their elemental Wu. They came back to the temple grounds, Raimondo having the Claws in hand. "Ready?" He checked. His team nodded in response. "I'll count down and Omi stops the water. Three … Two … ONE!"

"GOLDEN TIGER CLAWS!" The leader yelled and action drilled into each mind. All were alert and on their toes. A matter-piercing hole appeared in a wispy purple clawed tear. Gushing black water threatened to spill like a flood as it flowed towards the hole. Omi summoned his Kaijin Charm, a personal retractable metal sleeve, to enhance his water controlling abilities. The water was stopped, but the boy grunted under its torrential force. Kimiko rushed forward and dipped her hand in the salty wet portal. Immediately her arm was pulled down flat by the crushing pressure of the depths. She could not move for moments of Omi's struggle.

"Hurry Kimiko!" the little one groaned, his voice strained by the weight. With all her might, she forced herself to drag her arm over jagged rocks and feel among them. The pressure numbed her senses. She could not see anything at the bottom of that abyss, making her job harder. The pressure was stopping her flow of blood, weakening the little strength she had left after one tug of the arm. In addition to her troubles, the claw tear was shrinking. "It's too strong!" she finally cried, "The pressure's too strong!"

Raimondo and Clay rushed to pull her out, when they did she was cursing. The portal closed and Omi spread out on his back in exhaustion.

"How are we gonna get that Wu before any evil company does now?" the frustrated Brazilian leader droned aloud.

"Well," Clay said thoughtfully, "since we've got the teleporting Wu nobody else can beat us in fast time. But if we let it lie long, they'll make it to the bottom."

"Meaning we have to race 'em to the Wu?" Kimiko felt faint at the thought of entering that pressure chasm again. Then an idea struck her happy, "How about we get someone stronger to do my part?"

Question marks floated over the boys' heads. "Chase Young has super strength right? Maybe he could…"

"No no no no no." Raimondo was quick to object, "No! He is not about to butt into this. He makes a good housecleaner, that's all his usefulness is for, ok?"

"Hey," Kimiko retorted, "he's an **ex**-Heylin now, remember?"

"Yeah." Replied Clay, "But we could be **ex**tinct if he gets his grubby hands on this Wu. But then again… Maybe not?"

"Let's settle this quickly, shall we?" came Dojo's voice, "Vote now or forever hold your peace, and that's gonna happen if Heylins win the Hai Ri Bull."

Omi thought for a moment then took Kimiko's side, soon joined by Clay. Raimondo still remained against the idea but the majority won. The leader stood sullen in the sun while the rest fetched the maid. Almost instantaneously Chase Young stepped out of the meeting hall, soot covered hands and all. Looks better that way, he thought. Can't see his face that's why, he sniggered. He frowned again, however, when the man stood in front of him.

"Let's get this over with." Raimondo croaked grumpily, "Same drill. Three … Two … One!" A claw shaped portal formed and Omi blocked off the water. Chase slipped his hand though and rummaged about like he was feeling through a cupboard – the pressure seemed to have no effect on him! In seconds he held a shining silver Hai Ri Bull.

Time froze for the Xiaolin monks. Chase was running his reptile eyes over the shining artifact, his bare hand gripping and loosening upon it. Nonetheless, without a tinge of hesitation or pause, he handed it over to Raimondo after a moment of observation. Sighs of relief blew around the man as he walked away from the circle. Kimiko could not wait until he was out of earshot to gloat at the 'boy who opposed'.

He could hear voices outside discussing him. They needed his help, but the boys did not fully trust him. He smiled when Kimiko suggested that he helped. He did not doubt the Hai Ri Bull's power and how spellbound it was, but he never had or will have a liking for Sheng Gong Wu. Only lackeys will bother with those crutches, he shook his head. Focusing back on his job, Chase Young carried the cauldron put and poured away the dirty water and soap suds. Raising his head he saw three of them coming his way. He put the cauldron in the center of the hall and stood outside.

Kimiko asked for his help whilst the boys stood as bodyguards behind her. "At your service, masters." He willingly went with them, keeping his strides close by hers. That Brazilian had his face transfigured with disgust, putting a smile on the servant's face. The procedure was as simple as ABCs and went without a hitch. When he went back to work, concerning luncheon, he started thinking on the simplicity of the Xiaolin warriors' Wu missions of late. No rivalries? No Heylin or that wimpy Spicer grabbing the Wu at the last minute, calling for a Showdown? No spy birds or its master bean? And how about that power-hungry Wuya? He made up his mind to have this word with Kimiko afterwards.

Meanwhile, lunch was dished out one by one on the table. He wiped his food-stained hands in time to see the cowboy's head lingering at the doorpost. Chase did not memorize that irrelevant information into his mind and neither did he glace a second time at the yellow imp next to him. Needless to say, their appearance was a surprise to him for neither was looking at the food but at him instead. Down the corridor he met Master Fung and Dojo, the latter reciting his part in the Wu retrieval. As he passed them, he was sure he overheard the Master say, "Perhaps he is changing back. Just in time that Master Monk Guan has gone. Now you have nothing to worry about Dojo."

So, one less Xiaolin under this roof, he thought as he picked up a gardening fork. Under what conditions would he leave the epitome of evil unwatched? Another word to discuss with Kimiko. "What are you daydreaming about, eh?" He blinked his thoughts away to see Raimondo with his arms crossed. He shamelessly answered, "With all due respect my thoughts are of my own, master Raimondo. But rest assured, it'll not affect you in the least."

Raimondo let him off. But Chase was not finished. "It will affect you in the most, siâo haí zì³." he mocked, low enough for his ears only. He knows the boy likes his girl but there was no chance of competition – no reason to think twice. He proceeded with flipping top soils by the bedroom windows.

Lunch was filled with norms, except the fact Raimondo was as quiet as rice. Not a sound came from him as she and the others chatted over Chase's peculiar willingness to help them with the Wu, especially since it is Heylin bound. They figured he would turn the tables and flatten them as soon as he held it. They were so far from the truth.

"I truly thought Chase Young was about to summon the Hai Ri Bull. But I judged wrong." confessed Omi.

"Same here, partner. He took us by the reins but he gave 'em back." nodded Clay

"Yeah. It was, like, so unexpected! And did you see how the pressure bugged him?"" Kimiko joined in their opinions.

"That didn't do nothin' to him!" agreed Clay.

"Maybe he can help us more!" suggested Omi. The rest turned their attention to him. "Since Chase Young knows Heylin Magic, he could help in lifting Wuya's spell from the Wu!"

"That's a great idea, Omi!" cried Kimiko.

"NO WAY!" A loud disagreement pierced the discussion like a sword. Raimondo had spoken. He was backed up by Master Fung who entered as Omi made his suggestion.

"We must be careful in this choice, young warriors." He cautioned slowly, "Chase Young may have pledged loyalty to the Xiaolin side, but if his heart is not on the same path he may stray back to the wilderness when given the chance."

Kimiko objected; Chase had given them the Hai Ri Bull without a look of hesitation or unwillingness!

"Yes, Kimiko." The Master responded, "Dojo has told me the whole story. And that is the reason I came to talk to you young monks. Chase Young has just given us an act of trust, something which, I must say, has come unexpectedly. Omi's suggestion is therefore considerable but must be decided now for if a Heylin strikes, matters will be further complicated and endangered."

"A vote?" Kimiko asked.

"Not this time, Kimiko. This is a more serious decision that calls for precise odds. Shall we make a list of pros and cons?"

Kimiko produced her PDA and everyone gathered around to add information. The list grew, and grew and grew until another voice pierced the discussion. "Pardon my intrusion, masters" Chase Young interrupted in a drawled tune, "May I clear the dishes?"

The crowd exchanged looks as he wiped the table clean and left the room wordlessly. As soon as he left they continued their discussions, quieter. Kimiko typed the data in her PDA.

The list in pros went simply – 1. He is a wizard. 2. He has Heylin magic in his blood. 3.He has appeared trustworthy as seen from the Wu incident. 4. He said he has no interest in Sheng Gong Wu. 5. He is one hot son of a gun. Kimiko slashed that last reason which she wrote out of her trust in him.

The cons were awkward – 1. He was a Heylin for 1500 years 2. He observed the Sheng Gong Wu for a moment before passing it over. 3. He has used Sheng Gong Wu in his schemes before. 4. There is signs of some rebellion in him as seen from the past 6 days. 5. There are no more excuses.

She looked up from the palm-sized screen. It had been an hour of discussion and the reasons for both were equal. Master Fung sighed; he hoped it would not come to this. He grudgingly called for a vote although the thought stung his conscious with regret. One hand zoomed up while two rose slowly for Option Yes. In Option No, a tanned arm and a green scaly limb went flying high.

Majority won anyhow, and Chase was called for the second time that day. His expression was emotionless as he agreed to counter Wuya's spell. When asked if there were any materials he needed, the wizard halted in his steps. He said that it was Heylin Magic casted, thus only Heylin Magic to counter. His voice gave them the impression of an expert insulted. Chase Young was brought to the Sheng Gong Wu vault but remained outside the underground stone stairway. Did they think for a moment he did not know about the vault? He scoffed inwardly.

When he finally held the Wu he looked over it at arm's length. The Xiaolin monks surrounded him and watched him study every physical detail. Then he closed his eyes and motioned his fingers over, sensing the presence of the spell. Slowly he rotated the Bull, eyes still closed, with his levitating powers. The Wu began floating before him as he gradually outstretched his arms away. A dark, wispy haze hung around it that grew with the distance he moved. At last the wizard stood with his arms spread horizontally. His long hair drifted with the loosened grip of gravity. His eyelids flashed open and power glowed from his open hands. His lips tightened. The haze around the Wu became a thick fog. His hands made a powerful clap. The impact sent a ferocious beam of light straight at the Hai Ri Bull. The Wu tilted back with the force. The darkness haunting around it fled, dissolving into the light. Soon both spells faded and line of smoke ascended.

Chase exhaled with slight tiredness as the Wu dropped with a clang. He dropped his arms at his sides. The Xiaolin spectators did not stop to notice him, but rushed to caress the de-spelled magical crutch. He watched them swarm around that _thing_ in disgusted amazement. They would rather that trash than real magic? He groaned inwardly. But he was not an attention seeker and swiftly slipped out.

Kimiko had watched him, but from his astounded look of hate, she decided to thank him when he cools down. She spent the evening with the boys and Master Fung. They were celebrating over the incident, and soon a new request was on the tips of their tongues.

"Anybody think he can spellbind this Wu for Xiaolins?" Raimondo suddenly suggested, a scheming look growing on his face.

"That ain't a bad idea, Rai!" Clay slapped his friend on the back, glad that he was talking again.

"I don't think we should do that, guys." Now it was Kimiko's turn to object. "I mean, if we do, we'll be no better than them!"

"We are _way_ better than them, Kimiko." The boy was grinning wide, "Why do'u think we're called Xiaolin?"

"It's not the name that upholds the reputation, but the spirit." Master Fung said as he entered the conversation.

"Aww, c'mon Master Fungster!" Raimondo protested, "It's just for safekeeping!"

"That's the same thing Wuya thought fifteen hundred years ago years ago, kid." Dojo reminded, laying his scaly green head on the Master's shoulder.

"There's a diff –" He uttered.

"The only difference, Raimondo, is the side this decision is done upon." Master Fung dismissed the suggestion with a raise of his palm. "Now perhaps we should, if you young warriors could do so, thank him for his recent help."

Those last words made Raimondo fume a dark cloud over his head. His friends noticed this, but all knew the Master's words were to be obeyed. All four headed to find the unappreciated wizard, the boy mumbling swears like a gushing waterfall. His words interested innocent Omi though and those yellow ears were his only audience.

Kimiko led the troop to the kitchen where his timetable meant him to be. A turn at the corner and behold, a tall man in an apron stood by the sink facing a Dojo-less Master Fung. The sight made the boys chortle behind covered mouths, desperately trying not to throw a fit of laughter. Only Kimiko found nothing funny as she watched Master Fung address him and leave. Chase turned to give the youngsters his undivided attention and Kimiko dug her elbow into her leader's ribcage. A muffled yelp sorted him into seriousness. He gave her a glare, which drew a raised eyebrow from Chase, then opened his mouth. "We would just like to say," He paused to twist his fingers behind his back, "Thanks for helping out with the spell countering stuff. Right guys?" He called for moral support.

The rest crammed in their positive comments through the narrow doorway. Kimiko was disgusted by his lack of security, or was it lack of nice words?

Chase wiped his hands on the apron. He nodded in acknowledgement and returned to dicing potatoes. The boys left in a scurry, thinking Kimiko would be girlishly strolling behind them. Matter of fact, she stayed for a chat with the cook – there were more things she wanted to thank him for. She just stood by him, the silence transmitting signals of their love. She leaned on the surface, gazing at his angular face. He sent a smile her way, cautiously looked around, and kissed her soft cheek.

"Can I ask you something?" he whispered.

"Sure." She replied

"Do they mean me to spell bind that magical toy?" He let his irritation show. "I'm not so free as to fling magic around all day."

She laughed. "Nah! Master Fung won't allow it. He says it's no better than what Wuya did and as Xiaolins we should keep our distance from Heylin-used ideas. Or something like that."

"Héng ah¹. I'm in no mood to snap another spell for them. There are some new things to think about, Kimiko." He paused to put the potatoes in a boiling pot and set a few onions on the chopping board, but did not continue dicing. "It relates to what I was frustrated over last night, or rather, singular proofs to the subject."

"You mean stuff that proves what you're right about the Hannibal thing?" she sighed, thinking he was going to go all short-tempered again.

"These are clues that may be joined into being a single proof. If not they are separate evidences." He noticed her weary look. "No dear Kimiko. I am not feeling frustrated about it."

Her shoulders loosened in relief and he continued, "Have you noticed that you have no Wu competitors recently?"

"Well we took at lightly 'cause we have the Wu already and thought no biggy, right? But yeah, we didn't take much notice."

"I did however. Especially that Wuya, now out of my control, is not ravaging herself upon it struck me as odd."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Anything else?"

"Moreover, Master Monk Guan has left suddenly."

"Dojo says his temple is being attacked."

"And the monks there cannot defend it themselves and in need of his involvement? Is the attack too much for experienced Xiaolin monks? Rather strange in my eyes since they've been trained by the assumed best."

"Maybe when he comes back you ask him what's up. Or I'll tell you when he tells us." She said hopefully.

"I doubt his return here." Chase's words were simple, but piercing. Kimiko fell silent, glancing elsewhere to collect her mind. She turned her back to him. He took up the knife to start dicing, but laid it down again to place a hand on her shoulder. The muscle under his touch tightened. "How can you say that?" she whispered hoarsely.

"I may be wrong, but somehow I don't see him coming back." He replied in a slur.

"I love you, Chase." She wiped his hand off. "But I can. And he will come back here soon, you'll see!"

"My words are mine," he muttered, "but I'll keep yours in mind. Will you keep mine in yours?"

"Sure." Kimiko turned and left the kitchen, leaving Chase to his onions, eyes closed.

* * *

The temple was engulfed in flames. In every corner, Xiaolin monk corpses lay with their eyelids open and mouths agape in mid scream. Fire roasted their dead bodies away slowly, a ghastly sight to the Head of the temple. Master Monk Guan knelt sobbing, the spear of Guan lying broken and his orange uniform in shreds. He was a hard, self-made man but his vision was blurred by tears. The pain inflicted, lashes and broken bones were not the cause. The melted buildings and scorched land failed to catch his despaired attention. The stench of burning human flesh infiltrated his nostrils, but it did not make him cringe. The mockeries from his victors were soundless to his ears. He looked to the sky; heaven above appeared as hell, blood red and flaring. Salty streams poured from his eyelids. The lives he let lost, the lives he will soon lose, the simplicity of the evil tormented his guilt-beaten conscious. Defeat, as impossible as it was, has him finally in its shackles.

* * *

Translations

¹ Chinese for (You want to play it like that?) (Little kid)

² Japanese for (Shit)


	8. Day 7

Dojo suddenly sprung out from his sweet dreaming. Stuttering, he hastily slithered around the temple. He could feel it in his mystical sensorial gut – a sense of pain, horror and disgrace. He passed through corridor to corridor, checked room after room, peeking into every nook and cranny. Nothing was in disorder, so what's the deal? Then, at the thought, he almost fainted – there was one, last, dreaded place left to check. He approached the room where the infamous dragon-slurping Chase Young snoozes. He inched his way, drawing ever closer to his fate. He saw before his imagination his scales being scraped, and his insides cleaned for cooking. Seasonings like pepper, salt, sugar and turmeric sprinkled before his eyes.

A hand seized him. He shrieked. The hand that grabbed him was joined by another that clamped his mouth shut. A deep voice hushed him and he was carried into a room. The small lizard was spun around, coming face to face with the reptile cannibal. His vocal chords attempted to scream "Murder!" but the clamp was impossible to break from. Beads of sweat crawled down his back. There is no way out! His thoughts racing as fast as his pounding heartbeat. This is the end! Goodbye world, food and dear Master Fung! Goodbye…

"In all my years, I never knew reptiles could sweat." His 'captor' grumbled, "And I am well learned. Silence please." Dojo nodded and Chase Young uncovered Dojo's mouth, peeved at the midget's paranoia.

"Chase!" The little dragon wheezed while clutching his heart, "Whew. You're not gonna eat me?"

"If the first time you don't succeed, give up." Chase replied monotonously.

"Funny… I thought the phrase was 'If the first time you don't succeed, try –"

Chase cut him short, "I simply wished to thank you for waking me in the middle of night. I appreciate the nuisance."

"Well, if you have a mystical sensor that –" Dojo stopped for caution's sake, "Why should I tell you?"

"I have a feeling it's to do with Master Monk Guan's special disappearing act yesterday." The wizard replied, his voice serious.

"Well," Dojo pondered with reason reasonably before, hesitantly, continuing, "I guess I can tell you, since you're on our side and all that. I have no idea if it has to do with Master Monk Guan, but I've got this inside thought something very bad is happening. There was a lot of fighting and I feel like _we've_ lost, or something like that. I think people died. But we've not fought anybody lately so, what?"

Chase lowered the green, legless dragon on the old marble floor to slither away. He stood in his room, staring out the window. The few words he mentally highlighted wrote itself on his mind.

_Very bad._

_Is happening._

_Fighting._

_We lost._

'We' meaning the Xiaolin side. Which leads to saying the Heylin side _won_ – past tense. Then what about the '_Is happening_'? Present tense – something Heylin, a scheme of evil intentions is taking place. Evil in manner can be drawn to conclusion because of '_Very bad_'. '_Fighting_' comes by two enemies in battle, or already battled? The past tense fits.

He folded his bare arms as he stood thinking. A battle occurred and Xiaolins lost; Heylin won and evil is occurring. There was no fighting here in **this** temple. His eyes widened – there was fighting going on, if not here, at the other temple – Master Monk Guan's. That would explain the sudden disappearance. "Well, how about that?" He whispered to himself, "Not wanting to worry the other monks, he speeds off and, interestingly, loses the battle. It must've been planned and planned thoroughly. The most simple but effective approach is a surprise assault with a powerful team of fighters, or a large force. Better yet with the leader out of the way. Perhaps they planned the attack _because _Guan was gone. Then after striking out most of the Xiaolin monks, the leader would obviously arrive and be an single easy picking. One Xiaolin Temple down… one more to go, as the saying goes."

A classic evil scheme, he thought, but great leadership. Only two Heylins I know able to gather a massive army of anti-Xiaolin warriors. Myself and, he scowled at the fact, Hannibal. The latter is the obvious and there is evidence from that night.

Then it's settled. He is planning something and it's not over yet. He's bound to come here, by a different strategy doubtlessly, and possibly launch a mighty assault. Killing two birds with one stone; get rid of all Xiaolin **and** Chase Young, very impressive Hannibal Bean. Chase raised his hunched torso and looked to the distant hills. "I can just imagine the scene, Hannibal." He growled, "And your timing can't be more perfect. With me on the side of the losing _and_ under their stiff command, I can do nothing to threaten your cause, can I? You use the most commonplace idea to bring my ruin knowing humiliation is part-and-parcel of my obsession of being the best, my one weakness. curse you"

A swishing sound caught his ears. "You're still here Dojo." He proclaimed, sending cold zings down the small creature's spine. He twiddled his thumbs anxiously before slithering onto the room. His answer was a positive and that he didn't believe the man's theory about Guan's defeat.

"How sure are you?" Dojo would not, could not, believe him.

"As sure as I could've planned it myself." He kept his eyes on the line of light on the horizon, "Does it all not fit precisely? There's no gap for doubt, only opinion."

"It's still impossible!"

"Nothing's impossible in a world of magic and mystical objects. Only improbable."

Dojo's mouth opened and closed like a fish, in lack of further objection. Turning his heel he left the wizened man to his theorizing. Yet he turned to glance one more time. Somehow, as much as he hated it, there was an air of truth in those words.

Chase continued with his thoughts. With Master Fung's pet pondering over his words, perhaps a door would open to talk to the Head of this place. Now, _that_ would fit perfectly into countering Bean's plans. Better still, if he's given charge, surely there will be no deaths and losses by his account. But these schemes will have to wait, there is still one thing to do before a new day starts.

Sunshine's first rays lighted her room when she woke up. Kimiko had slept early the night before, having no romantic hours with him. What he had said frightened her. She glanced around, saw he was nowhere in sight within her room. Then a shadow casted itself upon her floor from behind her. She looked up and a man in a sky blue kung-fu suit leaning over her window sill. She merely looked back, her expression blank. His smile remained and his mouth moved to speak, "May I come in?"

She shrugged her shoulders in reply. He leaped in with an expect flair and knelt on one knee, but kept his hands to himself. "I'm sorry I scared you yesterday. I didn't think you would be as bothered as so if I spoke my mind." He paused to slip his hand under hers. "Forgive me, dear Kimiko?"

Her lips curled in a slow smile. She looked into his apologetic eyes and threw her arms around his neck, whispering the words that made his heart leap, "Ok! But I think I kinda' overreacted yesterday anyway. So, like yeah, my bad!"

She pulled back beaming, in his arms. With her arms still around his neck, the couple closed their eyes and leaned in. Her soft lips touched his smoothness as their heads began tilting to the sides. He licked her teeth, begging entrance into forbidden territory. She opened up and he went in, wrapping his arms around her small waist. She held his head in her hand and pulled him closer while meeting his tongue with hers. They twirled and curled around one another, dancing against the walls of their mouths. Their bodies pressed so close she let her groin lean on his. He was aroused by her sitting on his lap. He stretched out his legs and leaned back, making her lean on him in turn. His pull on her gravitated as he lay on his back. She lay atop him and gripping his head to hers. With her legs positioned across his waist, he let a hand slide into her top. His warm touch crawled up her skin and he felt along her curves. Retracting her lips she interested her tongue on more delicious areas, and his neck was her first victim. Immediately his hands gripped her, energy surging in him from her seductive licks.

"Where'd you learn this…" He could not open his mouth without moaning.

Hanging her lips over his yearning mouth, she whispered hotly, "You taught me." She wet his collar bone, enjoying the taste of his body. Still tonguing him, she worked his buttons off to reveal a muscular chest. She trailed her tongue over the lean flesh as she knelt over him. His moans grew louder. She ran a hand over his nipple, and taking her time to plant her lips upon it. His moans became hisses, breathings between clenched teeth. When his nipple hardened, she sweetly sucked at the other. The hisses quickened as did her enthusiasm in her job. She kissed her way down his hard abs, each with tender care. Then she, much to his disappointment, stopped just above his erected manhood. "Why stop?" he groaned. Her head was mere inches away. How he yearned for her hands to snatch off his pants and do what every instinct in him wanted her to do. He raised his head from the pillow to catch a glimpse of her teasing smile. She ran her tongue over her lips.

"I'm tired," she whimpered with dependant eyes, "I want a rest. Don't mind?" Without needing a reply she laid her head on his most sensitive area. The muscles in his bulge tightened, and became tighter still when she nuzzled against it. He gave a sharp exhale, the force pushing him back down on the pillow. She nuzzled harder and stroked it to get herself 'comfortable'. Her delicate fingering set him on fire. And as her finale, her fingers gripped the rim of his pants and she hauled herself up. With her face to his, and his pants slightly slipped, she breathed onto him, "Yeah, I totally forgive you Chase Young." Her hot voice drawled at his name.

He raised his head to kiss her but a sharp ringing interrupted their moment of 'forgiveness'.

A split later: "MAIL CALL!" Omi's squeal just burst out of nowhere.

"These interruptions are beginning to annoy me." He turned his eyes back on Kimiko. "You're so beautiful, my dear." He stroked her face.

"You too." She murmured, laying her head on his bare chest.

The pair lingered in their moment, unwilling to leave this private pause in time. He twirled her shining hair around his fingers. She enjoyed the feel of his body against hers. Yet somehow they ended up standing on their own two feet, with Chase exiting from her doorway. Kimiko pulled on a simple, casual outfit and combed her hair, the moments spent with him slowly seeping out of her mind. Her thoughts were drawn to more current matters. It had been a long time since the last 'MAIL CALL', she thought, who's it gonna be?

As soon as she stepped out, Raimondo greeted her. "Hey Kimiko!" he grinned, an expression of his that freaked her. "Check out all the good news!"

Her appearance showed little enthusiasm but the boys insisted on showing her their sources of happiness. All three had received letters from friends and family. Clay's father had just caught jackpot by the pants last week and his family was coming together for a feast, including his runaway sister Jessie. Raimondo's eldest cousin has brought about quadruplets and made it a must for all family members to attend the babies' First Month birthday party. As for Omi, the teenage monks' black American friend Germaine has been chosen into becoming New York's Junior Basketball team and his first match is up the following week, so he sent four front row seat tickets to his best friends over the other side of globe.

"My friend Germaine must be highly honored!" Omi exclaimed, "I shall go back to New York and proclaim his name!"

"Daddy must've gotten the real bull this time." Clay smiled broadly, "And mah' lil' sister's comin' home? I'm-a definitely goin' back to the family ranch!"

"Djavan's made four at one go?!" Raimondo's eyes boggled at the thought, "Heck! He's one horny dude!"

As they jabbered on to themselves, the patient postman waited for Kimiko to take her over-decorated parcel. On it was a smiling sticker with the words 'To: Kimiko Tohomiko. Handle with care.' scribbled by the most distinctive hand. Her father had sent this rectangular, black ribbon encased gift? That's so… she had nothing to say at the time about.

The boys soon noticed her walking past them with a pink, streaked black box. They crowded around her as she delicately undid the wrappings and pulled out – she screamed – a sleek, shiny white laptop with a grey apple printed on its top surface.

"Oh! Oh! OH MY – AH!" Kimiko shrieked, overjoyed. "An Apple MacBook Air! Daddy sent me an APPLE MACBOOK AIR!" She hopped around her teammates in girlish glee. Her strangling grip on the technology pulsed excitement through her veins as she held it to her heart, as close as she could. When her personal celebration subsided, she opened the laptop. Her screaming picked up again as she gawked over the 13-inch screen and built-in mini webcam. She dug out everything from the box, hurrying to charge up that baby. Then a note slipped out. The letter had slick background printings that fitted her style, and was covered from top to bottom with hasty scribbles. It was probably written while her father was in a fit of happiness. She gave one last glance at the charger then decided to read what her dad has to say.

The news of a 150 million dollar investment deal being sealed without ado has taken place in Mr. Tohomiko's business. The new sponsor is reliable and has no dealings in Shen Gong Wu or Heylin matters, but was extremely eager to make alliance. To cut the heavily expressive message short, he bought her the most expensive and latest computer available as a home-coming gift. And as tradition requires, all family members, relatives and available friends are to come together that Sunday for a celebration.

"Wow." She sighed in technology-obsessed ecstasy, "Daddy really knows what to do to get me home. Oh man, this is the coolest thing ever!" The boys asked if they could touch her new toy, only to have their itchy hands smacked. Kimiko Tohomiko was not about to let anybody make contact with her white sweetie. She took all her new stuff and ran to her room.

Sometimes I do not understand females, Chase groaned in his head. One small hint of their favourite object and they scream in mindless hysteria. Her voice could be heard from the kitchen as if she was standing right next to him. I'll really need a word with Master Fung…

"Hey Chase!" came a voice from the window in front of him, "Guess what I got in the mail!" Chase looked up from washing his hands. Kimiko wore a face of complete cheer and upheld herself on the windowsill, leaning on her forearms.

He could not help but smile before saying, "Your father has sent you thirteen inch screen Apple MacBook that comes with a mini webcam, or iSmile, as a homecoming gift. The reason for the homecoming? He has a new investor that will put a hundred and fifty million dollars into his pockets. So the whole Tohomiko kin and friends is gathering together for a celebration back in Tokyo. In other words," He paused to look deeply into her eyes. The news he just recited from memory prodded painfully at him, but his smile still refused to waver. She will leave in twenty-four meager hours and Hannibal may strike. One moment, how can he think of beans at a time like this? He chucked the latter out of his mind. "Meanwhile, I'll be unhappily stuck in the middle of China with only old monks for company, not to mention Master Mop here." He gestured to the floor cleaning tools by his side, still smiling.

"You're smiling a lot today." She quipped, a tinge of hurt mixed in her voice. "And was I really that loud that you can hear from here?"

"That was a queer sentence structure." He bent to pick up the bucket, "But my answer is yes, you were very, very loud." To demonstrate, he stuck a finger into his ear and rotated it in the hole, closing one eye as he did so.

"Ha ha." She said tonelessly before letting pity sink in, "You really gonna be that lonely? I can always ask Master Fung to let you come with me."

"My bet is on a negative response, Kimiko. Best to place hope in doubt when doubt is placed in hope."

She gave him an annoyed look, "Are those words of wisdom? Or did you just made it up 'cause you don't think I can do it?"

"Neither. I'm just sure he'll never let two people of the opposite gender go on a trip alone. Especially since the male is a Heylin warrior." Then he cupped her face in his hand. She put hers atop his. For awhile a loving silence reined the atmosphere.

"When are you leaving?" he asked.

"This Friday." She made a pause, caused by a lump risen in her throat. Tomorrow."

He pulled himself closer to her, so their noses were touching.

"But I'll be back by Tuesday, latest I think."

"Take your time." His reply surprised her. "I'll always be around here, there's no other alternative anyhow." He grinned at his wit.

She giggled. "No alternative alright! But you'll really be alright while I'm gone?"

"Everyone but the old folks will be gone. No trouble at all, my dear. With the condition you'll stay out of it."

"What kind of things you think I'll do Chase?" Her expression showed one of recall, "Just meeting some people I know and more that I don't, since my dad's so rich everybody who knows our name will be hovering around." Then to herself she muttered, "Urgh, that'll mean Wakaki will be there… he's such a _horny_ idiot."

At that word, Chase's ears pricked up – Kimiko could've sworn they twitched angrily too. "No!" she huffed, also surprised his hearing was so acute, "I meant he likes behaving like a pervert. But he's just a fourteen-year-old star basketball player in his school. He thinks he's hot."

"Like Raimondo." He mumbled.

"What?"

"Like Raimondo." He shamelessly repeated, louder. "Please continue."

After some eye-rolling, she talked about her family's inner circle, which consisted mostly of her father. But still, she had plenty to say. He is the greatest dad…He is so cool…Joker…We always laugh…He makes family time so fun! Chase felt rather embarrassed as she 'continued'. When she was done all he said was, "You seem to have a lot to speak of your father."

"I've lots more!"

He figured and dreaded it. "Maybe another time, Kimiko." Pulling himself up to her face, which the outside light shaped a silhouette giving her a stunning darkened beauty. He kissed her lightly on the mouth but two soft yet strong arms clung onto him so their lips crashed together. She locked her lips on his, her arms wrapped and not intending to let go. He loosened up and let her have the pleasure of dominance. Her tongue took up to curl around his. He tilted his head sideways, giving her working space. She enjoyed his submission. The feeling of control soon drove her to kiss around his neck.

His throat rumbled; he had growled.

She stopped. A questioning look from her met his humored gaze.

"Afterwards, my dear." he sighed. He picked up an overflowing bucket and lightly walked out of the kitchen with a mop in hand. Breakfast was ready, as she could see, but why did he leave?

The answer came with the bickering of three boys shoving their way through the door frame, where seconds ago Chase had just passed through. His hearing is seriously sharp, she thought, I wonder if it has anything to do with those pointy ears.

"She will be leaving very soon, yet I'm spending her last moments here with you, as if your face I'll miss!" He glared at the soaked end of the mop. The shine from the floor glared back, to-be spotless-in-no-time-flat if he continued at this strength, this raving. Raving? He thought crossly, I never rave about anything; anger is a waste of energy and an insult to self control. He breathed deeply and searched himself for a reason to this madness. The answer rose in near instant – the theory of Hannibal's possible attack on all things good. Then again, why would he care about the good of the world? He slowly opened his eyes. He could feel it, a sense of responsibility over the Xiaolin girl was beginning to grow in him. Suddenly he felt split in two – a part called it burdensome, another saw beauty in caring for a person after so many years of solitude. She was so delicate and petite for a young lady of her age. Then he remembered – these features were only skin deep. This lady is a fighter; powerful in her element, independent, fast, flexible and capable of absolute ideas. She had proved it all in every single one of their past encounters. He loves a woman who has a fighter's soul yet as a swan.

He quietly laughed at himself. So far in this relationship sexual experiences are the glue keeping them together. Their only argument was over Guan's survival. How can he judge her to be the One when they have barely scratched the surface of love? What proof is there that he truly loves her and is not lusting over her body?

He stood up from his mopping and stretched his kneeling legs. Done with the main hall, he carried the bucket across the lawn to the sleeping quarters.

Hannibal Bean tapped his forehead, impatiently waiting for the nitwit to return from the post office. Just a few simple letters to deliver and he was already so incompetent! There was no wonder Chase Young refused to let the boy work alongside him. Perhaps I should use the Zing Zom Bone again; Jack would be much more useful. On second thoughts, he needed the boy conscious for a certain part of the plan…the part where his old friend comes for a visit.

Kimiko was having a good time that afternoon. Every one of the Wudai warriors were excitedly exchanging plans throughout lunchtime, timely oblivious to their upcoming separation. Right after that they had one last spar together, of which Omi took the advantage to boast and waggle his baby-sized butt in egoistic triumph.

After hours in the sun, the sweaty youngsters started to get bothered by the hot weather. Raimondo announced a Parting Pool Party; Clay dug out a huge hole in the earth, Omi filled the one meter deep bowl and Kimiko brought out the tanning oil. Raimondo wanted to surf but resented after Kimiko tugged his ear, hard. The four posed side by side – Clay, Omi Kimiko then Raimondo – held hands and dived. The big splash sent most of the water out but nothing could distract them. Omi dog-paddled in his float and armbands above the surface, just to be pulled down underwater by Raimondo as revenge for butt-shaking. Clay cannonball-ed his teammates. Raimondo pulled Clay's hat over his eyes and dunked him. From that moment on, war was set between Earth, Wind and Water. Kimiko sat aside to work her tan.

"C'mon Kim!" Raimondo grinned in her direction, "Join us – blurgh!" Clay body-slammed him under the surface. Kimiko watched as his arms paddled the water frantically for a breath of air.

"Er…No." Kimiko was put off by the childishness. She flipped over to let the sun massage her back, resting her head upon the back of her palms. She sighed. It's so comfy just lying here. I know this swimming fiesta has been done before but, it's so much more – oh what's the word? – rejuvenating? Nah, that's lame. Relaxing? Maybe, but still not that suiting. Exciting? That sounds so flirty…

Rustles sounded on the dried leaves. She lazily turned her head. Chase was sweeping leaves, again. He did not look on her, but on the inside, he wished he could hold her in his arms until her departure. Then e swept the ground with a strength so sudden the leaves flew in uncontrolled directions. **She should not leave!** His mind growled. His instincts burned to even consider letting her go _alone_. There is evil lurking here. If it is not of my own darkness, I do not appreciate its presence.

That night, nobody could get as much as a wink of sleep, not with the excited chattering of the teenagers. But Chase could not doze off on his own accord. The suspicions were thick in his mind, tiring him mentally, and their endless blathering was not helping in the least…

"And here we go…!"

In the darkness, an army of voices roared to their victory.


	9. Day 8

I am so sorry this took so long, dear readers! My greatest apologies! =]

********************************************************************************************************************************

Raimondo stepped into the aeroplane with Clay and Omi, the latter clenching his stamped ticket excitedly. The plane took off, a big yellow head pressing itself against the oval window. As they flew over the clouds though, he stated plainly that Dojo's flying was far more exhilarating.

***

"They are on their way, Mr Bean sir!" A redhead declared with a punch into the air.

***

It was a private jet of her father's. She treaded from the grassy plain to carpeted steps. She greeted the steward in Japanese and he ushered her to a seat. I watched, silent.

The engines roared. She waved from her window. I nodded impassively alongside the other monks. The vehicle became airborne.

I couldn't resist.

_I_ became airborne. I rapped on her window. Her face expanded with utmost surprise. I smiled. She blew me a kiss. I laid my hand on the glass. She set her hand with mine. The thought of its eventual end gnawed at my mind.

I never believed I could feel this way. This prospect is too good for evil – too good for me. Do I deserve this sensation? Do I deserve any affection from such a character from my adversary of fifteen hundred years as she? Is this sentiment mine to be, truly?

My hand slipped off the glass as I decended back onto solid ground.

***

"Kimiko is nearing Rendezvous 6, sir." Vlad called.

"Wuya?" Hannibal turned to the Heylin witch, "Are you ready?"

"Oh yes." Roars and savage growls drummed off the walls of the cave. Her gleaming lips stretched from ear to ear, revealing the sharp points of teeth hidden behind. "We are."

***

Instinct tortured my love-pained soul as I descended. The further I went from the skies, the pain intensifies. My mind battled with my body to turn back, but I was bound by honour. I continued the chores with an uneasy state of mind.

The sun was slightly on the west side when I finally threw down the tools and harnessed my dark magic. In literally no time at all, the temple was spick and span and not a monk was in sight. I rushed to the Master's door and rapped hard. I was firm about the notion and intended to do something about it. He emerged with his hands in his sleeves; the perfect picture of serenity. I glanced over his appearance and noticed the crumpled silk of his vest and the folds behind his knee. He gave a solemn nod, disclosing the notion that he was pondering a thought similar to my own and he led me to the hall.

We stood on opposite sides of the cauldron, his eyes focused on my every motion, scrutinising my reliability. At most I blinked and glared back through narrow slits. Finally he folded his arms, crumpling his vest further, and addressed me with a light but grave air. Twice the visions came but he had chosen to dismiss it for he believed no power was greater than good. However, the signs of nature pointed to an otherwise ominous beginning. He presently had a third. He firmly added all materials I required will be provided for under the condition of upholding a warrior's honour. I replied with immediate action.

Throughout his speech my eyes were fixed on the wisps of smoke formed by the burning incense. The smooth grey strands danced with any waft of air that passed, intertwining with the air and fading into transparency. They blended in unnoticed, unknown and unforeseen. Opportunity rose within my hand as I dipped it in to grasp the strings that would be tools for this first step to knowledge. I pulled at them and stepped back three feet from the black pot to adopt my meditation position, whilst levitating in mid air. I felt the warm wisps travel through my palms. The rest was a blur.

My soul joined the playful wisps as they breezed though the atmosphere. I could feel the wind driving past me, urging me to flow with it higher and higher, farther and farther from my body. Over land and sea, forests and deserts and mountaintops I soared until my sense of evil led me to source lurking in a cave far in the North. I entered the darkness, seeing nothing but feeling everything. I sensed an unspeakable fusion of life and death; my type of stir where fresh breath was inhaled and poison exhaled. Decomposition was amiss in the air yet a fragrant smell of cooked food was rampant. A peculiar ventilator was built into the cave wall and I escaped into its shafts. Through the occasional gaps, my mind pieced the puzzle together.

First the sounds of thousands of voices grunting in unison came; a massive army training in martial arts. The sight beheld would have shook Goodness itself to its core – filthy, black shapes that were akin to men form yet without eyes and noses but wide jaws lined with rows of sharp pointed teeth. One as evil could tell they were fit and built for, otherwise created to defeat and murder large populations of enemies. I passed to the next section –

***

I was rudely shaken out of the trance by a visually panicking Master Fung. The contrast took me by annoyance more than surprise – nothing surprises one who has lived fifteen centuries – but the anxiety written in his eyes that stared beyond me made me turn to that direction. Again, I was not taken by surprise.

Swarms of locusts darkened the sky into a shade of night. Below, animals were frantic for their lives, running away from the North. I spared no time.

I reached out my hand and touched the good Master's forehead, telepathically revealing to him in an instant all that I had seen. He turned to me and solemnly told me, "Go. Take all the Wu. Find the young monks and flee to the safest lodging." I saw beyond the mask of command a fear of the impending lying heavily on his mind as he uttered the last few words, "They will live and soon prosper to build a new Xiaolin era."

I turned to go, first changing to my own armour; I did not intend to fight in any less disreputable clothing. I rushed to the vault, reduced the Wu to rice grains with the changing chopsticks and vanished to Tokyo.

I found the dear girl with her father at dinner as I impertinently stepped in. I smiled, bowed honourably and took her away from him. She naturally protested, which no kiss could reconcile as I grabbed monk by monk. Finally we arrived at my lair and, after much time wasted on silencing their ungrateful mouths, I began the tale of the ominous doom that awaited the world. The silence lingered for the next two days as none of them could utter a word on the destruction I had so explained in detail.

Their faces betrayed their fear and despair, as well as the burden of re-establishing an entire world of good culture and tradition. Omi wept like a newborn babe. The cowboy lowered his hat to his chest as he quietly took a room. Raimondo walked aimlessly for hours every waking day.

The next two days were filled with horror and death.

I took Kimiko into my arms and led her away into the heart of my home. Sitting her into an upholstered chair, I let her weep on my shoulder as I sat next to her. Tears fell from her but for a bare hour before her head lifted, and I saw in her eyes a determination burning within I never forgot.


	10. The final solution

**Chase vs. Kimiko**

At precisely midnight, the birth of the day August 6th, a red silk dragon sat coiled upon a grand, golden altar layered with white and black lengths of cloth was set aflame by _his_ hand. Following suit, candles lit across the pale lawn. It was a gathering of about fifty young lives who have sworn loyalty to the Xiaolin existence and those sworn to serve Heylin eternally who stood solemn before the altar set at the mouth of the temple. It was only appropriate to have this ceremony in the Xiaolin temple courtyard, as she would have wanted it.

There was a minute of silence. No one dared fidget under the watchful eye of the Heylin prince of darkness, who took this ceremony the most gravely of all. For six decades this ceremony was supervised by him and executed by them, Master Monk Omi and Master Monk Clay. Then, after the silence one could slice open with a knife, Grand Master Raimondo stepped up between the flames that engulfed the beautifully crafted dragon and the crowd of young faces. He took in a breath and addressed them. "Xiaolin warriors. Heylin warriors. We gather here tonight without killing each other to commemorate the day we saved each other."

Chase Young smiled in the shadows; the old boy still kept his Brazilian roots and tongue as nimble as his wizened wits.

"But it was at a cost, that we had saved our world. A cost that spent the blood of innocents. A cost that spilled the blood of one so dear to our hearts. A cost, that for some years, we were never able to recover." The heads of the elders bowed. "This cost was a blow we could never have avoided, for she had, out of her own will, chosen that path – the path between good and evil."

The old man turned to look youthful Chase Young in his golden reptilian eyes, as if asking permission to continue on this ceremony for the sixtieth time in a row. He nodded slightly and came forward with a beautifully carved scroll. The men exchanged glances and Master Monk took the handwritten scroll. Opening it gently, in an almost caressing manner, he began to retell the tale sworn to be told to the generations.

"There was no means of stopping a woman whose mind was set with the desires of her heart. Her heart was a fiery organ, ready to beat with the race of adrenaline in her veins. She looked into our eyes that night, betraying every emotion that swam within her bosom. Something within this Xiaolin Dragon of Fire had snapped into reality. We knew there was no stopping her."

"She wanted to save the world. She had said it without words, and that spoke of power. She attracted our attention with her energy and determination few warriors have till today. She wiped away her own tears. She stood tall on her own feet and strode on head high."

"The arrangement was simple. "We will find the areas that are being overcome by Hannibal Bean and his recruits and push them back. We will keep pushing until we drive them back into their caves." She uttered the very words I have so inscribed here over a very large world map I provided her. We had barely any say in the matter anyhow, except my interjection of improving the plan of action into a more complicated strategy so if our strength should fail, at least our wits will hold our victory together. We discussed this overnight and prepared for the execution the very next day. I gave them all armours that were much better suited for war than their robes for mere showdowns. My personal army assembled and stood at the entrance to my lair, awaiting my order, as the young men of Xiaolin gathered all their elemental Wu. We departed for war."

"The series of events happened swiftly under fifty-two hours after the departure."

"By Chase Young's telepathic measures, we found that this very temple was burnt to the ground and blown sky high at the same time. The dead bodies of monks lay scattered in several pieces each. The natural world was already half consumed by the ravenous evil devouring every living being it found. Urban locations were yet untouched, as was Hannibal's plan to inconspicuously reduce the world's resources and weaken it, before delivering his final blow on civilisation."

"We battled them in Congo, Amazon, Pacific and Atlantic. We drove them back to the North Pole and believed we had cornered them into their base. We believed that our victory was at hand and our confidence built high. We stormed the frozen land as a massive army against the black, inhuman figures that crawled on its surface. They were monstrous, cold and concise and cruel. They were created to fight bloodily and win by heartless massacre of their opponents. We understood how our forefathers had lost to such a power as Chase Young had lost a part of his mighty army."

"We fought hard and intense, only to realise that the continuous emergence of these hell sprung creatures were unnaturally convenient. Our Kimiko and Chase Young then ventured forth as planned into the abyss they came from, while we, men, entertained a diversion. With the Shroud of Shadows they remained invisible to the naked eye as he teleported them from place to place in search of the source and those responsible. In the heart of the cave they found it, a swirl of green, purple, red and black. Chase Young stepped out of the Shroud and stretched out his palms to absorb the energy when snarls were heard above."

"But the final battle was only to be expected as Kimiko, with the new found force within her, defeated opponent by opponent, some mentioned here: Catnappe, Vlad, Cyclops, Jack Spicer and even Wuya. She opened Sphere of Yun and trapped them all safely. Just as Chase Young had nearly absorbed all the energy, he heard a shrill cry. Turning, he recalls seeing her bleed and falling. Not a moment too soon he finished the job and killed them all single-handedly, whilst we above finished off the remains of those evil creatures."

"The world was saved."

Mastor Monk Raimondo rolled up the scroll and tucked it under his arm. He bowed his head and stepped back as Chase Young took centre stage.

The man who stood before them let the moment linger in their hearts, as he held his hand behind his back. "This day we commemorate the final choice she made. Remember it well and may you live long to see the days she fought vigilantly into freedom. She did not plan the death, but she did plan. It is a price we pay as warriors, be you Heylin or Xiaolin. Good and evil played an equal role in saving this unsuspecting world on this day, at this moment, six decades ago."

The fire continued to burn. Chase Young and his warriors remained in the courtyard with Grand Master Raimondo, Mastor Monk Omi and Mastor Monk Clay and the youngsters. The interaction was tremendously contrasting and queer between sides that opposed each other since time began. The cock crowed as the sun rose over the mountains, but neither party flew against the other still. Then nightfall began to settle

At precisely midnight, the death of August 6th and the emergence of an old day came. Evil left swiftly, as if no change was made at all as good stayed within their walls. The fire died.


	11. The Final Problem

**Chase vs. Kimiko 11**

Chase Young and his army of powerful warriors arrived back at his lair. With a snap of his long, slender fingers they morphed down to crawl on their hands and feet once again, growling and purring. The lions, tigers and panthers slunk away into the dark caves of their lodging. He himself stood on the precipice at the entrance of his lair, the strong winds sending his black hair waving whilst he breathed deeply in the satisfaction of his victory. The poor fools, he thought smugly, they never knew.

Then he snapped his fingers again, appearing in his grand bedroom, lavishly decorated with gold linings and red carpeted floor. The black stone that were the walls gave the room an evil but romantic atmosphere. The dim, warm light cast by a single flickering torch was arousing to his senses as his eyes fell onto the slim figure of someone under his sheets. The young lady was curled up invitingly, her lustrous black hair poured over her beautiful face. She was gorgeous under that lighting, an exact representation of her powers. Although she was asleep and vulnerable, the aura her very presence emitted was of great hidden strength. He grinned.

Removing his clothes and slipping under the same sheets, he stroked his finger against her bare back. She stirred a bit.

He slid his arms around her petite waist, pulling her to his body.

Her body was deliciously warm and her skin smooth and soft to the touch. She sleepily brought her hands to cover his, sighing, "Chase."

He gently pulled her hair back, revealing the youthful features of long eyelashes, curvy lips, firm cheeks and a bare neck he began to kiss across.

She groaned this time, "No, no, not tonight. I wanna sleep!" She lazily swatted his face away.

He laughed mischievously and clutched her back, planting kisses over her silky shoulders. "I love you, you know." He blew hot breath into her ear.

"Yeah, yeah." She smiled as his hand touched her ass. "Alright, you win." She rolled onto her back and threw off the sheets, revealing all the bare curves of her body.

His lips curled back into a smile, revealing his long, sharp canines as he laid on top of her.

She smiled the same way, revealing her own sharp canines – but she never had them until sixty years ago, on the day of her 'death'. She giggled suddenly, making Chase raise an eyebrow. "They still believe in that smoke screen?"

"Oh yes." He laughed again. "The better for us, my dear." He put his lips on hers and immediately her tongue pushed past them.

She has grown familiar with these erotic moments where they would both make the loudest animal noises while in the strangest positions. For sixty years they have been doing it. They never tired of the sensation they brought each other. They never tired in the love that spilled on the bed. They never tired of being one. They were never tired of each other. They were never tired.

All thanks to a sip of Lao Meng Long soup, she was just like him. That night in the cave, when she was stabbed by Hannibal, Chase tackled him. The two old enemies fought hard while she sprawled in a pool of her own blood. The pain was killing her, but she forced herself to stand. She delivered the final blow on Hannibal and he fell dead. Chase was taken by surprise; a Xiaolin had just killed in cold blood. She fainted at that point, but not before telling him she had made her choice. She wanted to live with him forever. She could not return home with those blood covered hands. She wanted him with her. She belonged to him and his side now.

There was no turning back. Taking a tin from his pocket, he put the soup to her lips. The transformation was instantaneous. Those in the Sphere of Yun witnessed her kill, her promises and betrayal. They were then murdered by her new drive of power found in the Heylin side.

Panting hard and bent over like the beast she was, her mouth drooling the blood of her victims. She turned to face Chase Young, who stood by laughing maniacally at the pleasure of seeing such cruelty in his beloved. He loved her more than he ever did that night.

Now, under the warmth of the afterglow, they both panted hard. The room smelt delightfully dark, malicious and slightly disturbing; the smell of their sex and sweat. Their young bodies entwined again, they decided on another go.


End file.
